


Lockers and Love

by Tivaholic



Series: NCIS High School, College, and After [1]
Category: NCIS, jibbs - Fandom, mcabby - Fandom, tiva - Fandom
Genre: F/M, NCIS - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 54,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24737401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tivaholic/pseuds/Tivaholic
Summary: What would the NCIS team be like in High School? Ziva’s the new kid in school when she moves to DC with her mother after Tali’s death. Tony is a popular basketball player. What happens when they meet? Will they hate each other or will they fall in love?
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jenny Shepard, Jimmy Palmer/Breena Slater, Timothy McGee/Abby Sciuto, Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Series: NCIS High School, College, and After [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788715
Comments: 29
Kudos: 72





	1. Character Desriptions

Ziva: The new kid in school. She moved from Israel after her sister, Tali’s, death with her mother, Rivka. 18 years old and a senior at Michael Franks Washington High School.

Tony: The oldest son of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Jennifer Gibbs. Older brother to Timothy Gibbs. Like a brother to Abby Sciuto. Popular guy in school and the basketball team’s point guard. Currently dating Jeanne Benoit. 18 years old and a senior at Michael Franks Washington High School.

Tim: The youngest son of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Jennifer Gibbs. Younger brother of Anthony Gibbs. The school’s geek, the one the bullies like to mess with the most. Best friend is Abby Sciuto. 17 years old and a junior at Michael Franks Washington High School.

Abby: Daughter of Gloria Sciuto. Older sister to Luca Sciuto. Also one of the geeks in school. Wears all black clothes. Best friend is Timothy Gibbs. 17 years old and a junior at Michael Franks Washington High School. 

Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Father to Anthony Gibbs and Timothy Gibbs. Married to Jennifer Gibbs. Former Marine and current team leader at NCIS. Close friends with Donald Mallard. 47 years of age.

Jennifer Gibbs: Mother to Anthony Gibbs and Timothy Gibbs. Wife to Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Director at NCIS. 45 years of age.

Donald Mallard: Medical Examiner at NCIS. Adopted Father to James Mallard, nicknamed Jimmy. Close friend to Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Jennifer Gibbs. Like an Uncle to Tony and Tim.

Jimmy Mallard: Son of Donald Mallard. Biological Mother and Father were killed in a car accident when he was young. 17 years old and a junior at Michael Franks Washington High School.

Gloria Sciuto: Mother to Abigail and Luca Sciuto. Neighbor to the Gibbs Family. Stay at home mom.

Luca Sciuto: Youngest son to Gloria Sciuto. Younger brother to Luca Sciuto. 12 years old and in 7th grade.

Rivka David: Ziva’s mother and new to America and D.C. Widow after husband was killed in the line of duty in Israel.

Tali David: Ziva’s dead sister, Rivka’s dead daughter.

Ari Haswari: Ziva’s dead half-brother, Rivka’s dead half-son.

Eli David: Ziva’s dead father, Rivka’s dead husband.

Jeanne Benoit: Popular senior at Michael Franks Washington High School. Head Cheerleader, from a wealthy family. Currently dating Anthony Gibbs.


	2. Chapter One

America. She was in America. After a 12 hour flight. She was finally here. 18-year-old Ziva David was looking up at the beautiful blue sky filled with clouds. Hearing the birds chirping. It was so different compared to Israel. She had barely left the airport, yet she was rooted to the spot, looking at the beauty of this country. Her mother came up behind her and put her hand on Ziva’s shoulder. Ziva turned to face her with a slight smile on her face.

“Are you ready, motek?” Her mother spoke kindly. You could still see the dark bags under her eyes and the red that was engulfing her eyes. The same could probably be said for her.

Her younger sister, Tali, was killed almost a week and a half ago in a Hamas suicide bombing. Her mother had sprung the idea of moving to Israel 2 days after Tali’s funeral, where she was buried next to her father and her brother. It was difficult to leave her home, her other family, but she knew that this was going to be good for her and her mother. To get away from the violence of her home, to get away from death.

Their things had been shipped earlier in the week and were waiting for them at their new home. She was looking forward to how school would be. Things here would be different than what she was used to, but she was willing to learn the ropes. This was her new home, this is where she now resided. She was going to make the most of it.

*************************************************************************************

Tony DiNozzo was always the ladies' man. All the girls wanted him, and all the guys wanted to be him. Currently, he had been dating Jeanne Benoit, and he was regretting every second of it. When they first started dating 2 months ago, she seemed so nice, so caring, so gently. But that all changed a week ago. She always wanted to be right next to him all the time, never wanted to leave him alone. Whenever he was at home, she would knock on his door and have a tantrum if she wasn’t let in. She always treated others like they were beneath her. Treated them with the utmost disrespect. He just got to the point where he never wanted to be around her. Whenever they were at school, she would always try to show him off like he was some object, some prize. But he was lonely, he didn’t want to be one of those loners for the rest of his life

For some reason, he had this gut feeling that this week was going to be different. He had learned from his father, to always trust his gut. His father was a former marine and a current NCIS agent, if he knew what to do to catch murderers, then Tony could use it to guide him through his life. 

His father was someone that he had always looked up to. That couldn’t count out his mother too. She was a very intimidating woman, but also one of the most loving and caring people that you’ll ever meet. She was also the director of NCIS, so people don’t normally cross her or her kids, afraid of what she could do.

He had many “friends” in school, but they all expected him to be the jerk like they all were. They were the kinds of people to throw people into dumpsters and egg cars. He just wasn’t for all that. 

He did have his brother, Tim, and his best friend, Abby. Abby had become like a sister to him throughout all the years they had known each other. He just wanted to get out of high school and do something good with his life. 

He was walking through the park when he noticed 2 women moving boxes from outside to inside. The older of the two looked like she was struggling, so he made his way over, intending to help if needed. He walked over and made his way over to the woman. The woman noticed and looked up at him and called out in another language, more than likely to the other woman. 

“I don’t mean to intrude, but I was wondering if you guys needed help with anything?” The older woman smiled and nodded.

“Yes. We have many boxes that need to be moved from the truck to the house. Some of them are very heavy. If you do not mind…”

“I don’t mind. Just tell me where you want them to go.” The woman nodded and handed him the box she was currently holding. 

“That one goes into the kitchen.” Tony nodded and made his way up the stairs and stopped in his tracks when he noticed the younger of the two women. She was beautiful. More than beautiful, gorgeous. She had the prettiest brown eyes and wavy brown hair. She looked at him warily, not sure what his intentions were.

“She said this goes in the kitchen?” He finally spoke, not wanting to seem like a loser just standing there, practically drooling over this girl. The girl nodded and pointed to the left. He nodded and walked through the door, the girl behind him with another box.

“So where are you guys from? You don’t sound like you’re from around here.” The girl nodded.

“We are from Israel. Just got here this morning.”

“Oh. That’s cool. I’ve never met anybody from anyone that far away. Most of the people here have been here since like the dawn of time.” He chuckled. When he was nervous he would joke, or he would ramble about movie references.

“I’m Tony by the way.” He reached his hand out. The girl accepted it cautiously.

“Ziva.” An exotic name for an exotic woman. 

For some reason he felt this connection with her, like he could share anything with her. He wanted to get to know her. He could just look at her, his gaze couldn’t leave her eyes. Something about them was just pulling him in. She bit her bottom lip, and turned her gaze away from him and went out again to help the older woman with the rest of the boxes. He followed her. He felt like he could follow her anywhere.

The older woman looked at them as they walked out of the house. 

“(Mama, this is Tony.)” She spoke in what he could now guess as Hebrew. The older woman looked at him. She raked her eyes over him, it seemed like she was searching his soul. 

“(He is very handsome)” Ziva looked up at him and chuckled.

“(Maybe just a little, Mama)” They both started laughing, causing Tony to just stand there awkwardly. The older woman turned to him and raised her hand to him, just like he had done with Ziva. He shook it, firmly. The older woman smiled at that.

“Hello, Tony. It is very nice to meet you. You can call me Rivka.” Tony smiled. Ziva could see the resemblance in them, especially in the eyes. He didn’t know what it was about their eyes, but it was almost magnetic.   
Rivka then grabbed a lighter looking box and made her way inside. Tony turned back to Ziva.

“So, what school are you going to?” 

“Michael Franks Washington.” Tony smiled.

“Oh sweet, I go there too. It’s a pretty big school if you ever want me to show you around.” Ziva nodded. This man was quite the charmer. 

“Sure.” 

For the next 45 minutes, he helped them move boxes from the moving truck into their new home. About 7:45 that night, they finished putting boxes in various rooms around the house. He got a text from Tim.

Tim: Dad wants you home for dinner. He’s not in a good mood.

Tony: I should be home soon. Work?

Tim: More than likely. Abby is joining us.

Tony: I’m helping somebody move down the street. Just got finished. I'll be home in like 5 minutes.

Tim: Helping somebody move? Really? Who?

Tony: A mother and daughter from Israel. Just got here this morning. Looked like they were having trouble so I decided to help out. The daughter is actually going to go to school with us.

Tim: Oh, cool. Mom is calling for me to help set the table. You might want to get over here.

Tony: Be there soon.

Tony put his phone back into his pocket. He looked up to Ziva, who was unpacking some things in the living room. She sensed him looking at her and looked up to meet his eyes. He had beautiful green eyes. 

“That was my brother. I need to get home for dinner.” Ziva nodded and stood. She outstretched her hand and he shook it.

“Thank you for your help. Things went a lot faster.” 

“Not a problem. I guess I’ll see you at school on Monday?” Ziva nodded.

“I will be there.” She smiled, which in turn caused him to smile. She had this beautiful Mona Lisa smile that sent butterflies to his stomach. Who was this woman? She sent shivers down his spine. Rivka entered the room and saw them looking at each other in such a way that she smiled. Eli used to look at her like that, and she him. Now he was gone, along with her son and daughter. Ziva was all she had now, and she would make sure that nothing would happen to her, she would protect her with her life. She could sense that this young man would be good for her.

“I will see you guys later. If you need any more help, just ask.” They both nodded and Tony waved his hand and walked out the front door. Ziva moved over to the window and watched him walk away. Almost a minute later she saw him in the driver’s seat of a 1969 Mustang.

As he drove he couldn't get her beautiful face out of his head. His gut feeling from earlier was becoming stronger. He had a feeling his life was about change and for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this first chapter of this part. I have already decided that this will be apart of a series. How long it will take to finish is unknown at the moment. The plan is to make three parts. One in high school, one in college, and one in just normal after school life, aka work. I will make mistakes along the way, all writers do. Please be respectful in the comments as some of the recent ones are somewhat hurtful.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this part and see ya next time.
> 
> Reviews are welcome.


	3. Chapter Two

Tony pulled into his driveway seeing the light on in the house. He couldn’t get Ziva out of his head. He got out of his mustang and walked into the house, throwing his shoes to the side, as to not track mud into the rest of the house. He walked into the dining room, seeing his family already sitting down. He moved over to the available seat and sat. Jenny looked over to him, her eyes flashing with curiosity.

“How was your day, Tony?” Jenny softly asked. Tony smiled, seeing Ziva flash through his mind.

“It was good.” He picked up his fork and played it around in his mashed potatoes. 

“Tim said you were helping somebody move,” Gibbs spoke up from the opposite side of the table.

“Yeah. There were these two women moving boxes into their house from the truck. The older one looked like she needed help. The younger one is actually going to be going to our school.” Tim and Abby looked up.

“Cool! What grade?” Tony smiled.

“She’s a senior.” Everybody at the table could see the smile and the flash of adoration that sparkled through his eyes at the mention of this girl.

“What’s her name?” Tim spoke. Tony’s smile became even larger.

“Ziva.” He looked back down at his food, remembering those beautiful brown doe eyes, that sweet Israeli accent, and the strength that radiated from her. The others looked around the table again, smiles adorning their faces. This Ziva was something special, even though they just met. Gibbs and Jenny looked at each other. They knew that experience themselves, seeing as they were in his position. They had met in high school also, they had met in junior year and were inseparable. When he had joined the Marines, it was very difficult, but they had made it work. After he served for his mandatory 4 years, he was honorably discharged and they got married. Four years later, they started their family. It seemed as if Tony was experiencing that now.

As they finished up their dinner, Gibbs, Tony and Tim collected the dishes from the table and took them to the kitchen. It was a family “tradition” that when Jenny cooked (normally Abby would help), the men of the household would clean up and do the dishes so the women could relax. It helped produce manners and responsibility. They finished washing and drying, then headed into the living room. Every Sunday they would have a movie night, something Tony was always ecstatic for. His love for movies was a unique characteristic that was a part of him. If something sounded like a movie he had seen, he would quote it in a heartbeat. Movies were his escape, something that could take away the stress of the day, or to forget about his problems with Jeanne.

They all sat on the sectional couch and huddled under blankets. Gibbs and Jenny chose to sit together in Gibbs’ recliner, something that wasn’t uncommon. Tim and Abby were cuddled up together under one blanket on one side of the couch while Tony was alone on the opposite side.

‘When will they see what’s right in front of them?’ Tim and Abby had always been best friends, but the way they acted presented more than that. 

The movie they had picked for tonight was “Top Gun” an all-time classic, and one of Tony’s favorites. He couldn’t put it in front of “The Godfather” though or “James Bond”. It wasn’t even 20 minutes in that he lost focus (something that rarely happened while watching a movie) and more focused on Ziva, and unfortunately Jeanne. Things weren’t working with her, and now he had this new girl in his head, something that’s never happened to him before. This one was special, he could feel it, right to his heart. Jeanne wasn’t a good fit for him, he needed to break it off with her and soon. All of a sudden he got a beep from his pocket. It was his phone. 

‘Speak of the devil.’ Jeanne had texted him.

Jeanne: Hey hottie ;) Whatcha up too?

Tony sighed. He really didn’t want to deal with this right now. 

Tony: Watching a movie with my family.

He said it so maybe she would leave him alone.

Jeanne: Want some company? ;)

Clearly she hadn’t gotten his hidden message. He checked the time and saw that it was 7:15 PM. He suddenly got an idea, he could get this over with. He didn’t want to end it over text or over the phone, he was a better man than that. 

Tony: I’ll do you one better. Meet me at the park?

His reply was almost immediate.

Jeanne: Absolutely.

He sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He jumped up and started for the door, causing everyone in the room to look confused. Tony never left during a movie.

“Where are you going?” Abby was the one to speak up.

“This is like the best part of the movie, one of your favorites.” Tony nodded and put on the shoes that he put aside upon his arrival.

“I have something that I need to do.” They could all sense that this “something” was important and they let him go. Tony left the house and hopped into his Mustang and set off to the park. Flashes of Ziva still running around in his mind. It just now hit him that the park he was going to was across the street from her house. After a 4 minute drive, he arrived at the park. He parked his car and got out and went over to the bench closest to him. He was not looking forward to this, but it needed to be done. After only 2 months, he couldn’t take much more. She was batshit insane and he couldn’t do it anymore. 

He saw her car pull up and she hastily jumped out to get to him as soon as possible. He would bet that one day she would forget to even turn off the damn car. She moved over and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He just wanted to get this over with and go home and hopefully catch the end of the movie. She moved up to try and kiss him and moved his head away, causing her to kiss his cheek. She could sense that something was wrong, but she ignored it as she believed that nothing could be wrong.

“Look, Jeanne. I need to say something and I need to get it out. Please just wait till I finish talking to speak.” She nodded, her face had way too much makeup on. It was almost like nobody would ever be as beautiful as Ziva was. Nobody could compare to beauty. She changed him. She made him want to be a one-woman man, a loyal man. She brought that out in him and he only met her this afternoon. What was going on with him? He had never felt this before.

Jeanne nodded. Still keeping up the innocent look that would always get her way. Not anymore, especially not him.

“Jeanne. This isn’t working anymore. I’m not happy. I can’t do this anymore, I can’t pretend that this is working anymore. You aren’t the one for me. I’m sorry.” Jeanne was looking up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. All of a sudden she started laughing. What was funny about this? Tony looked at her like she was crazy, which she was, but he wasn’t going to say that. At least, not now. 

“You’re hilarious, Tony. What do you mean this isn’t working? It’s working perfectly.” She went to kiss him again but he lightly pushed her away.’

“Maybe for you. But not for me. We’re over Jeanne.” With that, he started to walk back to his car. If she couldn’t accept it, then so be it. They weren’t together anymore, he made that part clear. He was about to reach his car when he heard Jeanne shout behind him.

“This isn’t over, Tony!! You will regret this!!” Tony shook his head, no, no he wouldn’t. As he drove away he witnessed Jeanne’s temper tantrum on the sidewalk. He then glanced at Ziva’s house as he passed. Now that Jeanne was out of the picture, he could get to know Ziva more. He was looking forward to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!! I just really wanted to get Jeanne out of the way so we could get into TIVA. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next time.
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


	4. Chapter Three

It was Monday. Time for school. Normally he would hate waking up so early in the morning, but today he didn’t mind. He was going to see Ziva again, something he had been looking forward to since he met her. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that he was actually up early. Normally he would wake up at 7:30 as school began at 8:00, it was 6:45. He got up and hopped in the shower, as he did every morning. He stayed in there for about 15 minutes. He got out and got dressed. It was currently October, so today he would wear his varsity jacket, as it was chilly outside. It consisted of blue down the front with white sleeves. On the front left breast pocket, there was the school logo with the name under it. On the back had his name along his shoulder blades. Along with that, he put on his favorite jeans with his favorite shoes.

He made his way down the stairs to the kitchen to see Gibbs and Jenny. They were always up early for work. Gibbs had his signature coffee in his hand, something he couldn’t go a day without. Jenny was pouring some cereal into a bowl. 

“Good morning,” Tony said softly. They both turned around with confusion drawn across their faces. He wasn’t normally up this early. Was something wrong?

“You’re up early.” Was all Gibbs said as he took a sip of his coffee. Tony nodded.

“Am I up before ElfLord?” Tim always got up early no matter what day it was. Both his parents nodded. This was new. Tony moved over to the pantry and grabbed the oatmeal and began to make his food. Gibbs and Jenny were still looking at him like he had three heads. What was going on with him? 

“Are you feeling okay, Tony?” Tony looked at his parents from the counter, waiting for his oatmeal to heat up. 

“Yeah, I’m feeling fine, why?” His eyebrows scrunched up. Yes, he knew that he was up early, he knew that he didn’t normally do that, but he was actually excited and ready for the day. He was hoping that Ziva had at least one class with him. Just thinking that his mind flashes to her again. What was it about this girl? Why was he so wrapped up in her? He barely even knows her, just met her the previous day, yet he felt such a strong connection with her. He looked at the clock above the microwave and smiled upon seeing that it was 7:45, almost time to leave. The school was about 7 minutes from there house so they were able to sleep in and leave later than most. About this time, Tim came down the stairs and looked at Tony the same way that Gibbs and Jenny. Tony saw this and rolled his eyes.

“Yes. I’m up early, let’s roll past that.” Tim was still curious as to why his brother was up. Tim was always up before Tony. Always. Normally you would have to physically pull Tony out of bed, something was going on with him and he would find out.

“I have basketball practice today so I won’t be home till about six.” He told his parents. They both nodded. Tony had always loved basketball, even when he was younger. He was the star player for the team and played the point-guard position. That position alone made all girls want to date him. Especially the cheerleaders. Contrary to popular belief he wasn’t a player, sure he was a ladies man, but he would never just hump and dump. He was raised better than. He was taught to respect a woman, to treat her right, and never to do anything to hurt her. But it was high school and things like that did happen. 

Jenny finished her cereal and put her bowl in the sink, making it a point to wash the dishes when she got home. She turned to face her husband and her sons.

“Ducky called me this morning. Jimmy had been coming home bleeding and bruised. He came home yesterday with glass in his hands from his glasses.” Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jimmy was a really kind kid, yeah he was a little weird, but he was a genius. Nobody should be put through something like that. If this was a cartoon, then a lightbulb would’ve lightened up above his head. He had a pretty good idea who was doing this to him. The same 2 dirtbags that went around school thinking they owned the place and beat you to a pulp if you didn’t do as they say.

Gibbs saw his reaction and looked at him until he spoke. Ducky was a dear friend to the Gibbs', so when Ducky took in Jimmy when his parents died, he became close to them too. Almost like family.

Tony and Tim looked at each other. They both knew who was responsible. Ron Sacks and Brent Langer. They were scumbags that needed to be put in their place. They would set them in their place. They both gave a slight nod to each other. A confirmation to each other that they had each other’s back and would take care of this issue together. Somebody needed to take them down a notch or two.

“I know that look. Who are they?” Jenny spoke, seeing her boys conversing silently. Tony looked her way.

“Ron Sacks and Brent Langer. There high school tormentors. They take pride in beating people to a pulp. Jimmy is just the type of person they’d go after. Don’t worry, mom. We’ll set this straight.” They stood up and headed toward the door.

“I don’t want to be getting a phone call from Principal Vance about you two fighting,” Jenny yelled after them. Tim was the one that turned to reply.

“We won’t fight unless they instigate it. Jimmy’s like family. We just want to talk and set the record straight. Besides, we won’t throw the first punch.” He smiled at his father’s smirk. With that, he set out to his 1970 Audi and went to pick up Abby from across the street. She always had problems with her Hot Rod, especially on cold mornings. Tony pulled out of the driveway and set off for the high school. He passed Ziva’s house and smiled. He was going to see her again today. He couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short. Next chapter should be longer. Hope you all enjoyed.
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


	5. Chapter Four

Tony pulled up to the school and parked in his parking spot. He got lucky this year with parking, his spot was right near the entrance to the school and all his classes were in the main hallway. Unfortunately, he did have math first period. He hated math, was never good at it. But he decided that now he was going to make an effort, no matter skating by the C’s. He didn’t want to be a loser that lived at home after high school. He wanted to go to college, preferably Ohio State, and get a degree of some sort. 

He hopped out of his Mustang, grabbed his backpack from the backseat, and made his way into the school. He got in and saw Ziva in the corner looking at her schedule with a look of confusion spread across her face. He smiled at her, she looked beautiful. She had on blue skinny jeans with a white top. The white really brought out her olive skin. He made his way over to her and it was like she could sense him coming up to her because she looked up at him and smiled. 

“Hi.” He said, smiling. His smile caused her to smile. His stomach fluttered at her smile. This woman was something different.

“Shalom.” 

“What do you got there?” He said pointing to the piece of paper in her hands.

“It is my schedule. You were right this place is pretty big.” She sighed. It was going to take forever to find her classes. Tony looked at her schedule from over her shoulder. He could smell her hair, it smelt like vanilla. Her close proximity was starting to affect him and his pants tightened a fraction. He closed his eyes for a second and stepped a little away from her. He didn’t want to freak her out, or for her to get the wrong impression from him. 

“Oh cool, we have 3 classes together. I can walk you to them so you don’t get lost.” Ziva nodded.

“Thank you. It would have taken me forever to find the right rooms. It would not be good if I was late on my first day.” Tony smiled. Tony looked at his watch and saw that it was nearing 3 minutes until the first bell of the day rang. He looked at her schedule again and his eyes went wide as he saw her fourth period. It was the same as his, in the fourth-period slot was printed “Movie Critique”. He didn’t think that she could get any better. 

“You’re taking Movie Critique?” He was excited. Finally, there might be somebody that would understand his movie quotes and his love for them. Ziva smiled at the childish glint in his eyes. That was something that made her heart swell. There was something about this guy that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She should get to know him, she had a feeling she would if they had 3 out of 4 classes together. This would be fun.

“Yes. I want to, how do you say, get a hand in American culture. I figured what better way to do that than American movies.” Tony’s smile became bigger. This one was full of surprises. Tony looked at his watch again and noticed that it was about time they set off to their first class. They sat down just as the bell rang. They sat next to each other as Ziva didn’t know anybody. He was her only friend at the moment.

‘That’s pretty sad, Ziva.’ She thought. She paid attention to Mr. Barnes. He seemed to be a pretty chill teacher. But Tony had told her to not get on his bad side or he would be a hound. She had always been good in school, it was always something her mother pushed for her. She wanted her to have a good education and she wanted her to go to college. Unlike what Eli thought. From a young age, Ziva had been trained in Krav Maga and in Judo. His vision was for her to join Mossad as soon as she came of age. 

Ziva just wanted a normal life and she pushed her father to let her do what she wanted, but he would always refuse. Many times there were screaming matches between the two of them which would normally end with Eli sending a slap to her cheek. Her mother never knew about those, if she did, there would have been even more arguments between them. At the time of his death, they had repaired most of their relationship. When Ziva was young, she would come home to yelling and screaming. She was happy when they worked out their differences. When she realized that she zoned out in the middle of class, she stopped thinking about her family issues and focused back on the teacher.

Tony was looking at her throughout the class as she was too captivating to not stare at. He was paying attention to his teacher too. Before he knew it the bell rang and it was time to go to their next class. He grabbed his backpack from behind his chair and waited for Ziva to do the same. When they packed all of their math books together, they headed out into the hallway. This was the one period they wouldn’t have together. He had Auto Mechanics while she had Chemistry.

“Here, I’ll walk you to your class and pick you up after. We have lunch after this.” She nodded, she was starting to like this guy. He was kind to her and showed her around. As they made their way to her class, she noticed that many people were glaring at her and whispering to each other. What was their problem? Tony walked her to her chemistry class and told her he would see her after. She walked into the classroom and the teacher raised her head and saw her new student. She stood up from her spot behind her desk and moved over to her, her arm outstretched. Ziva took and shook it gently but firmly. The teacher smiled at her.

“You must be Ziva David.” She pronounced her last name David instead of Dahveed, something that she had a feeling that would happen a lot here. 

“Dahveed. And yes that is me.” She corrected her not wanting her to pronounce her name wrong for the rest of the year. 

“My apologies Ms. Dahveed. Welcome to my classroom. I’m Mrs. Williams, you can take a seat where there is one available.” Ziva nodded and set out towards one of the seats in the front of the room. Now that Tony wasn’t here she might actually be able to focus like she normally did. Just something about him made her want to drop everything and just look at him. He was very handsome, but she wouldn’t tell him that. She could tell that he had some form of an ego, she didn’t want to make that grow. As the class started, she couldn’t help but hear the whispers in the back. Something she had learned from her father’s training was when one sense wasn’t available, you use every other sense. As of right now, she couldn’t see, but she could hear. She tuned in to what they were saying.

‘Did you see how close Tony was standing to her? The way he was looking at her when she was looking around.’

‘Yeah, I did see that. I can’t believe he would go out with her. She’s probably some terrorist…’

She tuned them out and shook her head slightly. She turned back to Mrs. Williams and paid attention to her lesson. She checked the clock above the classroom door and noticed that class would be over soon.

Close to twenty minutes later the bell rang signaling that second period was over. She stood up and packed all her things into her bag and headed out only to be stopped by a brown-haired girl.

“Stay away from Tony if you know what’s good for you.” Ziva grinned, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the girl. Ziva walked past her, slightly bumping her shoulder against the girls, and walked out of the room. She saw Tony leaning against a locker on the opposite wall. He smiled when he saw her. She ignored the other girl's “warning” and walked over to him. 

“How was class? You ready for lunch?” She nodded and they started for the cafeteria. As they walked, many people patted Tony on the back, something that confused Ziva. As they went through the doors of the cafeteria, Tony saw his brother and Abby sitting at one of the tables and they made their way over to them. Tim and Abby saw him coming and smiled when they saw who was with him. As Tony and Ziva sat down, Abby’s excitement skyrocketed. Come on it was Abby, she probably already had like 3 CAF-POWs today and it was only lunch, there was no telling how many more she would drink.

“Hi! You must be Ziva! Tony’s told us about you.” Abby stood up and launched herself at Ziva and pulled her into a bear hug. Ziva’s went wide at the enthusiasm Abby was showing. She looked over Abby’s shoulder at Tony and the other boy. Abby eventually pulled back from the hug and went back to her spot next to the boy. They knew her but she didn’t know them.

“Ziva, this is my brother Tim and his best friend, Abby.” At the mention of their names, Tim and Abby smiled, Ziva smiled right back at them. They seemed like nice people.

“It is very good to meet you,” Ziva spoke, she wasn't sure if she was able to sit at the table with them. Surely they had other friends to hang out with instead of the new girl. Tony saw her hesitance and sat down opposite of Tim and showed with his hand to sit down and join them. Abby wanted to get to know this girl, especially if Tony couldn’t stop talking about her. 

“So Ziva, where do you come from?” Abby was kind, as always, and already had a list of questions she wanted to ask her in her head. She decided to refrain from some of them. For now at least.

“Israel. America is very different.” 

“I bet. I’ve heard it’s extremely hot over there.” Tim pitched in. Ziva laughed and nodded.

“Yes. Even in winter, it is close to 80 degrees.” 

“I don’t think I would survive there. I’m way too pale to even think about showing up there.” Everyone at the table laughed. There were four girls going by the table and took a couple of seconds to glare at Ziva. Ziva returned the look but barely put anything into it as she didn’t want a confrontation. At least not this early into her new school year. Everybody else at the table looked at the four girls and stopped laughing. Tony noticed that the lead girl in front was Jeanne. Of course, she would start something. After a few more seconds they moved past and walked to the other side of the cafeteria. 

“What was all that about?” Tim asked. He hated Jeanne. So did Abby. Jeanne had always messed with them throughout middle school and now through the three years of high school. He had no doubt that she would continue until she graduated. Which was thankfully this year.

“That is the girl that stopped me from leaving my chemistry class. She was trying to be intimidating.” Tony could see that there was something else. Ziva had mastered the facade of facial expressions, but she couldn't stop the emotions from pooling in her eyes.

“What else did she do?” Ziva turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed.

“Nothing.” 

“Ziva.” Ziva looked down at her food, the one her mother gratefully packed for her this morning. 

“She said I was probably a terrorist because of where I come from.” Tony could see red. An overwhelming sense to protect her, even though he had a sense that she could take care of herself. Ziva could see the anger well up in his eyes.

“It was nothing, Tony. I have dealt with much worse.” Tony looked at her softly. The only person that showed that much care was her mother and her sister. Never a man. Not even her father or her brother. He had only just met her yet he was willing to get angry and defend her after such a small time together.

“Jeanne’s a snake, she terrorizes the school and expects you to worship the ground she walks on.” Tony tried to explain. Tim huffed.

“Then why’d you go out with her?” Ziva felt a sense of jealousy rush through.

‘Why am I feeling like this? I only just met him. Who cares if he dated that snitch?’

Tony shook his head.

“I honestly don’t know. It was only 2 months but it felt like the longest 2 months of my life.” The table laughed. Little did they Jeanne had heard them from behind the corner. She was going to make this new girl pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! This one was a bit longer, and hopefully, the next one will be just as long. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


	6. Chapter Five

The lunch bell rang signaling that their lunch was over. It was time to go to their next classes. Tony and Ziva had their last two periods together and walked together. Abby and Time also had their last two periods together. They all walked together until they got to the “intersection” hallway, and the four of them split off. Tim and Abby and Algebra Honors next and were talking about the complex equations they would more than likely be solving today. Tony and Ziva laughed as they rambled on and how neither of them could understand a word they were saying. Before they turned, Tony turned to Tim.

“Meet me outside the gym when school’s over.” Tim knew what he was planning on doing once they met up. Confront Sacks and Langer. They were both on the basketball team and would be a practice today. Palmer hadn’t come to school today, probably scared for his life and in pain, something that he shouldn’t be feeling. They needed to do something, this shouldn’t continue. Jimmy was like another brother to the boys and was pretty close to Abby too. They had practically grown up together. They would put an end to this whether it started a fight or not. Ziva could see the look that passed between the two boys as borderline anger. What were they planning on doing after school? Ziva’s face showed confusion when Tony turned back around to her. He nodded his head to follow him, which she did, and they began walking towards the gym as they had P.E. next. 

“If you do not mind me asking, what was that all about?” Tony pulled her over to the side. Somewhere they could speak quietly and not be pushed around by other students rushing to get to their next class. Tony looked around to make sure that nobody was listening as he spoke.

“A buddy of ours got home last night with bruises and blood all over him. Glass in his arms from his broken glasses. We have a pretty good idea who did it. It’s about time somebody put a stop to their games. Ziva nodded, she understood that quite well. When she was in middle school, her sister had been in elementary. She had come home one day with a black eye and her right arm had been broken. Bullies at her school had done these things at recess on the playground. Telling their teacher that she had fallen off the slide. Ziva would drop her off at school every day, her mother would normally pick her up. That time, she had gone herself and confronted the bullies and put them in their place. Afraid of what the older girl would do to them. 

“I have practice today so I’ll see them there. Better to confront them before practice than after as they tend to get aggressive as practice goes on.” Ziva was confused.

“Why would they become aggressive?” Tony laughed. He moved closer to her so only she could hear what he was about to say. She was amazed at how good it felt to have him so close. To have his shadow cover hers.

“Cause they suck.” He started laughing, causing Ziva to laugh. They turned and continued their way to the gym, not wanting to be late to class. Fornell wouldn’t be too happy with them and would make them run 4 laps around the gym. Tony didn’t want to admit that he had to do them more than once for being late.

Tony and Ziva separated as they got to the locker rooms. Ziva went in to find the four girls from lunch looking at her and glaring. 

‘Was that expression permanent on their faces?’ These girls seemed to hate her, yet they didn’t have a reason. She had done nothing to them. She guessed that was how some people were in America. 

Tony on the other hand went into the locker room and saw some of his basketball buddies. As he was putting his gym shirt on, Gerald Jackson walked over to him and patted him on the back.

“Dude, what’s up with you and the new girl?” 

“What do you mean?” Gerald huffed.

“Come on man, you totally ditched us during lunch and you’ve been spending all day with her.” Tony’s thoughts went from when he saw her this morning to seeing her walk through the locker room door not even five minutes ago.

“She needed some help getting around.” 

“You’ll ruin everything we’ve worked towards just because you're fascinated with this girl. I mean yeah she’s hot and I would totally hit that, but come on man, where’s the Tony we all know and love?” Tony sighed.

“What do you mean ruin everything? I was helping her get around. What’s the problem with that?” He was starting to get defensive as he talked about Ziva and “the Tony they all know and love”. That Tony was fake, just a show to become more popular. He felt he could be himself around Ziva. That she could be trusted with his vulnerability. Reputation wasn’t everything. Everybody in this school couldn’t get that into their heads.

“Reputation is a joke, Jackson. Don’t talk about Ziva like she’s an object either.” referring to his “totally hot” and “I would totally hit that” comments. Yeah, like Ziva would go for a chump like Jackson. Jackson was one of those that would throw you under the bus to save his own ass. Gerald laughed at his comment.

“Dude, what’s gotten into you? What happened to the playboy, the one that would make girls’ panties drop with just a look and take advantage of that. Where’s that dude?” Tony looked down, ashamed with his old ways. He was different now. Even after only 2 days, Ziva had changed him, he barely knew anything about her, yet she made him want to be a better man. He looked up and looked at Gerald dead in the eye.

“He’s gone and he ain’t coming back.” His voice was low, dangerous. Gerald looked scared. Tony never snapped on anybody. He was always so carefree and the jokester. He moved away from him and went to his other buddies. Tony finished tying his shoes and headed out. The old him was gone for good. No more player, no more playboy. He was a changed man. All thanks to the exotic beauty across the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one was short. I'm sorry about that. I've been babysitting and this was my escape...at least until they went crazy :I. Hope you enjoyed the chapter none the less. Hopefully, the next one will be longer. Thank you for reading.
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


	7. Chapter Six

Tony made his way into the gym and saw Ziva in the corner. She was alone and many people were whispering about what happened in the locker room. He didn’t care. He made his way over to Ziva and smiled at her. She returned his smile and looked around the gym. Everybody was staring and them, most glaring and sending looks of hate towards her. A blonde girl made her way over to Tony. It was one of the four that seemingly had it out for her. She moved slowly up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him to look at her.

Tony turned and immediately felt disturbed as she batted her eyelashes and somehow managed to push the gym dress code to its limit. She wore the shortest shorts and her v-neck was almost down to the bottom of her chest. How she got away with that was a mystery to him.

“Hey, Tony. Wanna grab a bite after school? Make a repeat of that one night after junior prom.” She was baiting him, of that he was sure. Ziva’s eyes narrowed at the girl. Tony had slept with this girl. Apparently he was the player everybody had told her he was. He was probably just trying to get into her pants. Bastard. Ziva huffed and moved to the other side of the gym, waiting for class to start. Tony tried to go to her and explain, but EJ grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. He ripped his arm from hers.

“Don’t touch me.” EJ huffed and crossed her arms.

“What has she done to you, Tony?”

‘I don’t know what. I think I’m falling in love with her.’ 

“I’ve changed EJ. Deal with it.” With that, he walked to try and talk to Ziva. He was halfway to her when Coach Fornell entered the gym and blew on his whistle. He stopped in his tracks and had to move to where he could stretch. He looked over at Ziva who was already on the floor stretching her legs. He looked for an open area near her when he found none, he frowned. He really wanted to fix this. He didn’t want her to think he was the playboy he used to be. Didn’t want her to think that he only talked to her for sex. He wasn’t. He loved spending time with her and loved helping her around and just loved getting to know her. He would make this right as soon as possible. 

For gym, they did the mile run. 4 laps around the track. Most people would walk the four laps but Fornell expected his players to run, all four. He was in pretty good shape and could run the mile with no problems. When he finished, he noticed he wasn’t the first one done as usual. Ziva was leaning against a tree in the shade and was drinking some water. He figured this was his chance. He needed to fix this. Fast. He walked over to her and she made eye contact with him, her face not revealing anything to him about how she was feeling. 

“Ziva.” She looked away and focused on the others still running. There were still most people doing their laps.

“Leave me alone, Tony.” Tony’s eyes lowered, something Ziva saw. Her heart clenched as she saw his look. She was starting to like him, but now that she knew his reputation, she didn’t know if she wanted to be around him.

“Please let me explain.” He pleaded. 

“What is there to explain, Tony? Clearly you have just been trying to sleep with me this entire time. I thought you would actually want to be my friend. Just leave, Tony.” 

“Please, Ziva. It’s not what you think. You have to believe me.” Ziva huffed.

“Do I? I have only known you for two days. You have shown me around and made me laugh with your jokes.” At that, Tony smiled.

“And now I find out about your...conquests. Many people warned me to stay away from you and I did not listen. Maybe I should.” Tony’s smile dropped. No. She had it all wrong. Ziva walked back into the gym leaving him to his own misery.

‘I need to do something good. Prove to her I’m not using her.’ Yeah, that’s exactly what he would do. He wanted to prove he was the kind of man to respect a woman, that treated them with kindness. He wanted to show her what he was really like. He needed to do it fast.

Around 25 minutes later, everybody had finished running their laps and were now headed back into the gym. As he walked inside the door, he saw Ziva sitting on the bleachers playing with her shoes. He smiled as she looked cute. Beautiful. His heart ached to talk to her, but he knew she would just push him away again. He needed a plan on how to talk to her and make things right again. It was her first day and she was already mad at him.

The rest of the class went by quickly and they both made their way to opposite locker rooms. Ziva got in and got out faster than anyone could blink. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She wanted to be alone. 

‘Shit. I have lost my guide.’ She looked back down at her schedule, trying to figure out even the slightest idea of where her next class was. She looked up and saw Tim walking out of his class with his books in his hands. She called out to him and he smiled at her and walked over.

“Hey, Ziva. How was gym?” Ziva put on her best “fake” face and smiled gently.

“It was good. I just might need your help.” Tim nodded.

“Okay, what’s up?” She looked back to her schedule, reading the number to the room again, trying to memorize it.

“Would you mind showing me to my next class? I am having a bit of trouble.” 

“Sure. What is it?”

“Movie Critique.” Tim smiled. Movie Critique was Tony’s favorite class. Sometimes he would come after school (and practice) and start rambling about what they did that day. Almost like a kid in kindergarten. 

“Oh yeah. But Tony has this class next too, wouldn’t he like to show you?” Ziva grimaced. She really didn’t want to tell Tim about their earlier encounter and tried her best to make an excuse.

“Yes. He is with his other friends at the moment. I want to be early so that I can introduce myself to the teacher.” Tim seemed to believe her and they started walking towards her fourth and final class of the day. They laughed and got to know one another a little bit better. Ziva thought that Tim was really nice and was a genius (along with Abby) and could easily picture herself becoming friends with him. He walked her to the door and said good luck and goodbye and went off to his next class as well.

Tony walked out of the locker room to see Ziva talking to Tim. They walked away together and he could see them talking and laughing. Jealousy sprung through him along with anger. Why had he been so stupid as to try and get popular? Why hadn’t he kept his pants on? He needed to fix this. Immediately.


	8. Chapter Seven

Tony made it through movie critique but he wasn’t paying much attention. He kept looking at Ziva trying to figure out how to fix things between them. She had moved away from him, sitting across the room. It was the first day and he already messed things up. The bell rang signaling it was time for school to be over. He watched as Ziva walked out of the room and headed down the hallway. He ran to catch up with her. 

“Ziva!” He yelled after her, not caring who looked his way. Ziva kept on walking as if she never heard him. He ran faster. He finally made it up to her and moved to stand in front of her. He was out of breath as he spoke.

“Wait, please. Just listen. You don’t have to say anything, just please listen to what I have to say. If you don’t like it then feel free to slap me or something. Please just listen to my explanation.” When Ziva stood still, silently signaling for him to continue.

“Yes. I slept with her. Yes, it was at a party, and yes I’m known in this school for being a skirt chaser.” Ziva huffed and moved to walk away. Tony gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back to look at him. She could see the unshed anger at himself in his eyes.

“Please. But you’re different. As soon as I saw you, you seemed different. Special even. I don’t know what it is about you, but I didn’t want to get to know you because I wanted to sleep with you. I wanted to get to know you because you seem like such a...I don’t know the words to describe you. I just feel this connection with you that I’ve never had with anybody else.” He smiled at her, looking into her beautiful brown eyes.

“I want to be your friend if you’ll let me. I never meant to hurt you, Ziva. I guess I’ll see you around.” With that, he walked away. He didn’t want to hear her rejection. He couldn’t handle that. He turned around to see her walking towards her house. He wished he could give her a ride home. He would gladly skip practice if it meant he got to spend time with her. He looked at his watch and noticed that he needed to be at the gym and meet Tim. He walked through the hallway and saw Tim leaning next to the door, glaring through the window at who he presumed to be Sacks and Langer. 

“Hey man, sorry I’m late. I had to do something.” Tim looked at him with a question in his eyes.

“Did it have to do with Ziva?” Tony looked down at the ground.

“Yeah. She’s not happy with me. I just went to talk to her, to try to make things right. I don’t know Tim. She probably hates me.” Tim slightly nodded.

“Just give it time, Tony. It’s her first day. She’s probably overwhelmed with classes and Jeanne with her lackeys. She just needs time.” Tony nodded, he was probably right and he wasn’t making things easier. 

“What are they up too?” He wanted to change the subject. Needed to get Ziva out of his mind, at least for now. He looked through the window and saw the two guys picking on a geek in the bleachers. 

“Alright, here’s the plan. I got to go get changed or Fornell will have my head. I’ll meet you back here and we’ll go in. Keep an eye on Dorneget. Don’t let him end up like Jimmy.” Tim nodded and turned back toward the door, looking through the window. Tony made his way to the locker room and got changed into his practice uniform. The number 8 on the front and back with “Gibbs” written on the back. He changed into his sneakers and made his way back to Tim. Tim’s jaw was clenched as he walked up to him. 

“What’s going on?” Tim looked his way.

“We need to go in.” Just then they saw Sacks land a punch to Dorneget’s gut. Tony and Tim opened the door to the gym and made their way over to them. Tony put his hand on Sacks’ shoulder and pushed him away from Dorneget. Sacks looked up and laughed.

“Well if it isn't the liar. Heard you changed. All because of some girl. Why does that not surprise me?” Tony’s jaw clenched. Nobody would talk about Ziva like that. 

“Look, we're not here to fight. We just want to talk.” The bullies laughed. Dorneget saw his opening and fled the gym, running as if his life depended on it. 

“Come on, Tony. We beat up chumps like him.” Sacks took a step forward. Tony didn’t back down. Langer was evil eyeing Tim. Tony was somewhat uneasy about bringing Tim into all this. Tim was one of the geeks in the school, just like Jimmy, just like Dorneget. Tony wanted to stop this before they came near either him or Abby.

“You gotta stop this, Slacks. Nobody else needs to get hurt. You two need to grow up.” The boys laughed, Sacks took another step forward. He was right in Tony’s face.

“Or you’ll do what?” Sacks grinned. Tony was about to say something when a foot came through the two of them and crashed into Sacks’ gut. Sending him to the ground. Langer went over and tried to help him up, which was actually making things worse. Tony and Tim looked behind them to see Ziva standing there with a smirk on her face. Tony smiled at her, she looked his way and gave him a slight nod. Tony’s smile somewhat left his face and he turned away from her, facing the bullies who were still on the ground. 

“Come near Palmer, Dorneget, or anybody else and we're coming for you.” The boys finally stood up and ran off the other side of the gym. Tim gave Tony a pat on the back and went to get his backpack. He walked out with a smile and wave, directed at him and at Ziva. Tony turned around to see Ziva still standing there. She was looking around at the players warming up. Tony took a small step closer to her.

“Thank you..for helping. You didn’t have to do that.” She actually took the step closer to him this time. 

“I remembered what you said at lunch and figured I would come and help.” Tony smiled.

“That was one mean kick. Are you like a ninja or something?” Ziva let out a small laugh.

“You could say that.” She looked up into his eyes and she couldn’t help his earlier words run through her head. She felt he was telling her the truth earlier, she felt she could try to trust him. She still couldn’t get over that wrench earlier. She was glad the school day was over. Now she could go home to her mother, finish putting away things from boxes, and eat dinner. 

“I better get home. It has been a long day and we still have things to unpack. I will see you tomorrow.” She turned to leave when Tony finally spoke up.

“I could drive you home. It’s dark out and now I know you can handle yourself, but I can give you a ride. My house is down that way.” Ziva bit her lip, something Tony found memorizing. 

“I do not know Tony. I am still not sure…”

“There’s nothing to it. Just a ride home.” She looked in his eyes, considering her options. Her feet were already killing her, but even though Tony seemed that he was honest, she wasn’t too sure about him, but she agreed in the end anyway.

They both made their way to his car. Tony opened the door for her and she gave him a slight smile and climbed in. Tony went around to his side of the car and hopped in. He turned the key and the engine roared to life. They set off towards her house and turned the radio on. They rode in silence as Tony didn’t want to upset her further and Ziva didn’t know what to say to him. They pulled into her driveway not even 10 minutes later. He got out before she could and opened her door for her. She slightly smiled at this action. Abby had come up to her earlier and they talked in the hallway after school ended. She talked all about how Tony was such a cool guy and how much he had talked about her in the last two days. She decided she would give him another chance.

He walked her to her door and was about to leave when Ziva put her hand on his shoulder.

“Would you like to come in?” He looked at her with shock in his eyes. After all that happened today, she was inviting him into her home? He thought over it for a second. Now that he knew she was a ninja was she going to kill him? After a few seconds of silence, he agreed with a nod of his head.

“Sure. I just have to tell my parents where I am.” Ziva gave a small smile, again his insides twisted. She nodded and went inside to tell her mother that Tony was coming in. Tony pulled out his phone from his back pocket and pressed on the group message between his family.

Tony: At Ziva’s. Won’t be home till later.

Within 30 seconds, his mother had replied.

Mom: Okay. We had leftovers for dinner. Will be in the fridge when you get home.

Tony: Sounds good. Some things happened at school today that need to be cleared up. Should be home within the next hour or so.

Tim was the one who responded to that.

Tim: Yeah, she seemed kind of off earlier. Is everything okay?

Tony sighed. He wouldn’t explain this to his family. It was between him and Ziva. Nobody else.

Tony: Yeah. See ya soon.

He put his phone back into his pocket. He looked up to see that Ziva had returned from inside with two cups in her hand. He took it with a smile.

“Thanks.” She nodded and started walking over to the right of the deck where there was a porch swing hanging from the roof. She sat down and motioned for him to sit with her. He moved over cautiously and sat down to the right of her. The reflection from the street lights were making her glow and he could barely breathe as he looked at her. After five minutes of silence, Ziva turned to face him and brought her legs up to sit crisscrossed.

“I owe you an apology.” She finally spoke. Her voice was so gentle that he barely heard her. He looked her in the eye and physically melted at the sight she was giving him. This beautiful girl was looking at him with those beautiful brown eyes. He couldn’t help but melt. But her words rang through his head.

“Why do you owe an apology? It should be me apologizing. After everything today, I just made it harder. It was your first day in a new place. I just made everything worse.” Ziva sat her mug down on the floor of the deck and turned to look at him.

“No. I assumed so much about you when I barely knew you. For that is why I am sorry.” Tony looked down into his mug.

“You had every right to assume. I don’t have the best reputation around school. Something I wish I could change. Something I’m working on.” Ziva’s eyebrows raised as she listened to him.

“So the girl that came up to you in the gym, was right? You did sleep with her?” Tony slightly nodded, ashamed of himself that he used to be like that. But, he wasn’t like that anymore. He told all his friends that and he would continue to do so. He wanted to be a better person, a better man. Someone that Ziva approved of. Someone that Rivka approved of.

“We were at a party and we were drinking. It got out of hand.” He still couldn’t look her in the eye. 

“That is not my business, Tony. I went underboard with my reaction today.” Tony chuckled. Ziva looked at him with confusion written on her face.

“What?” 

“I think you mean overboard. But you had every right too. You weren’t clear of my intentions. Not that I have any intentions. Cause I don’t.” Ziva started laughing at his rambling and her laugh made him stop talking. Her laughter made him smile a genuine smile.   
“I was raised to suspect everybody. To never trust. I was terrified because I trusted you so easily. My father would not have approved.” Tony was confused, why would her father not be approved. It was like Ziva read his mind.

“My father was... a part of a government agency. In his line of work, you learn not to trust easily.” Tony understood that. After all, his mother was the director of a federal agency and his father was a lead agent there.

“Yeah. I understand that.” Ziva’s eyebrows drew together, asking him through her eyes if he would explain. Tony could read it so clearly that it was almost like he was a mind-reader. 

“My parents work for NCIS.” Recognition flew across Ziva’s face. Her father had talked about NCIS before. How they were seemingly good people who worked for a seemingly good agency. She couldn’t remember what NCIS was or what they did, but if her father knew them then it had something to do with his line of work.

“NCIS.” She whispered.

“Yeah. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service. A lot of people actually haven’t heard of it. Dad always jokes about how they're the lowest in the food chain.” He let out a chuckle. Ziva stared at his handsome face as he laughed. Maybe he wasn’t so bad. Maybe trusting others wasn’t such a horrific thing. Maybe he could be trusted. Ziva had always been good at reading people, well except Tony earlier. But from what he told her when school was over, she could practically feel the truth radiating off of him. She decided that from now on, she would listen to him more clearly, and hopefully, they could become closer. She had a feeling that they would get a lot closer than she ever expected. But instead of feeling scared, she felt excited. She was looking forward to that. 

Seeing that Ziva was lost in thought, Tony found the chance to take another look at her. God, she was beautiful. He couldn’t say or think that enough. She looked like she was glowing in the moonlights and he felt privileged to be able to look at her like this. He felt earlier that she was different from other girls and he knew that that was true in every imaginable way possible. 

She was different. And now so was he.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update, I've been trying to make my chapters longer. Hopefully, I succeeded in someway. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


	9. Chapter Eight

The next day, Tony pulled into Ziva’s driveway. Intent on driving her to school instead of her having to ride the bus or walk. He pulled up, put the car in park and got out. As he made his way to her door he remembered last night and they’re conversation. How beautiful she looked in the moonlight. He hadn’t slept the night before as she filled his mind. Something that had been consistent in the last few days. He walked up to her door and paused for a few seconds. Nervous that she would decline his offer or that she would think it was weird.

As soon as he was about to knock, the door swung open revealing Ziva on the other side. His hand was still in the knocking position as he looked at her. Today she was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a cargo jacket and a black shirt. He assumed this would be something that she normally wore in Israel. She still looked beautiful, no matter what she wore. It was about 2 minutes of him looking at her, with his hand still in the air, that he realized that he was staring. She laughed at his facial expression and his frozen posture. His face flushed red and brought his hand down to rest in his pocket. She let out a chuckle and looked at him with her head cocked to the side. 

“I..uh...I was wondering... if you wanted a...ride to...school.” He cursed at himself in his head for how much of an idiot he was. He definitely sounded like one, especially around her. He heard Rivka from what he assumed was the kitchen and then a pot hitting the floor, producing a loud bang noise. Ziva turned quickly and rushed to see if her mother was alright, with Tony right behind her. Even though he didn’t know if he was allowed into her house, he wanted to see if Rivka was okay too. His mother had told him that he had a hero’s complex. That he always wanted to help people. 

When they made their way to the kitchen they saw Rivka standing with her hand on her forehead. Ziva moved to her, searching for any possible injuries. She spoke in Hebrew to her mother in company as she wanted to make sure everything was good before switching to English.

“(Ima, are you alright?)” Rivka nodded. Rivka switched to English when she saw Tony standing in the doorway.

“Yes, I am alright. Just dropped the pan.” She turned to Tony and a smile made its way on her face.

“Hello, Tony. Sorry for the mess, we are still getting things put away.” She was referring to the boxes still scattered around the house. 

“It’s all good. You should see my house.” He let out a chuckle. His mom and dad normally kept the house clean, but recently everybody had been busy either at work, school or other activities to really clean. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t have a messy room. His mother had always made him keep his room straight. It kind of stuck with him throughout the years. Everybody assumed that since he was a jock there was going to be clothes and things everywhere. But that was just their assumption. Something he laughed at in his head. 

At his comment, Rivka smiled and picked up the pan from the ground. Ziva gave him a slight smile and looked down shyly. When Rivka looked back up, she glanced at the clock on the microwave and her eyes went wide. 

“You two need to get to school. It’s almost 8:00. Go before you get late.” She practically swatted them out of the house with one of the rags from the kitchen. They made their way out and Ziva started to head towards the sidewalk. Tony stopped in his tracks. Yes, he had a great view of her backside, something that was very much appreciated, but he couldn’t let her walk herself to school when he could drive her. When they were close to being late. 

“Hey. I can give you a ride. We’ll get there faster.” Ziva turned around, contemplating her options and figured why the hell not, and made her way to the passenger side of his car. Tony turned the key and the car roared to life. They pulled out of her driveway and pulled up to the school in less than three minutes. They both bolted from the seats, closed the door to the car, and practically ran to their first-period class. Thankfully, they made it with a minute to spare and took their seats. Ziva sat in the seat right next to Tony today, something she quit doing after gym yesterday. Barnes was taking attendance and when he got to Ziva’s name, he mispronounced it. Tony looked up and looked at the man.

“It’s pronounced Dahveed.” He stretched out the name, giving no room for error so the teacher wouldn’t make the mistake again. Ziva turned to look at him as he spoke. She was surprised that he sounded somewhat offended. It was her name, why was he getting bent out of square for it? The teacher nodded at the enthusiastic correction from the student that normally fell asleep in his class, and took in the information as if it was important. He continued down the list and once he was completed, he started their lesson for the day. Several people in the class were looking in their direction. Some glaring, others laughing. The new gossip around the school was that Tony Gibbs had changed. Changed for the new girl. Now they were seeing that it was true. Nobody thought that that would ever change. Some praised him for it, while others started to hate him for it. Not that he cared anyway. 

The lesson was actually surprisingly easy for Tony, as he actually made attention to the work. Halfway through the class, Barnes called out that they could complete the rest of the work on their own or they could work with a partner. Ziva was surprised when Tony turned to her and asked if she would be his partner. She gave a slight smile and nodded. They got their work done within 20 minutes, with 15 minutes of class left. They smiled at each other as they looked at each other. Tony couldn’t help but smile. Would it be too early to ask her on a date? Probably as they had been fighting the day before about him being a skirt chaser. He would wait it out. Get to know her better. Let her get to know him better as well. He could ask her to come to their game tomorrow. That wasn’t weird, was it? He didn’t think so. He zoned back in to see Jeanne in the corner whispering to EJ and Zoe and glaring at Ziva. When Jeanne saw that he was looking in that direction, she sat straighter and batted her eyelashes, as if he would drop to his knees for her. No, he wouldn’t. He knew what a real woman was like and she was sitting right next to him. He completely ignored Jeanne’s attempt to get his attention. He looked back at Ziva and smiled at her face. Her nose was scrunched up as she looked at her phone. He noticed it was one of the newer ones that were just released. He knew because he had the same one. And Tim wouldn’t shut up about it. 

“You having trouble?” He asked looking at the phone. She looked back up at him with a slight blush on her face.

“Yes. I have never had a phone before. So this is new to me.” Tony looked at her like she was crazy. No phone. A teenager. A teenager with no phone until now. Tony saw this look and gave him a slightly bigger smile.

“My father said that it would interfere with training and language skills. He said it would cause me to be unfocused.” Tony could understand that enough. Apparently Ziva’s dad was a real hardass. Where was he anyway? He had noticed her mother but that was it, did her parents not live together? Was her father still in Israel? Again it was like Ziva could read his mind.

“My father died about 6 months ago. Along with my older brother Ari. It was one of the things that was easier about moving here.” Tony looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. Something Ziva normally didn’t like to see. But with Tony, it made her heart flutter. Not a lot of people have shown genuine care to her in her life. Her mother always had along with her siblings, never her father. It was all about how emotions were a weakness and to never cry as it was a sign that you were the weakest link. Something she never wanted to be. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. I couldn’t imagine how hard that would be for you and your mother.” Ziva nodded.

“They were never around because of work. The last needle was when my sister, Tali was killed almost two weeks ago. We wanted to get away from the violence of our country. Get away from the death.” Tony reached over and placed his hand over hers. Squeezing it gently. Giving her a little bit of comfort. Now wasn’t the right time to correct her English. He didn’t know if now was the right time to have this conversation. At the end of math class and sitting at desks. But he let her talk. Something he found himself enjoying. Her voice was soothing. Calming. Something that he could get used to hearing every day. By the time she stopped talking they had moved closer together and were now only about three feet apart. When Tony noticed this, he blushed slightly. No girl had ever made him blush. Had never made him feel butterflies in his stomach. But this was Ziva, he learned in the past few days that she was different, in a good way. He decided he wouldn’t fight the pull that she had on him. Ziva was looking at him in almost the same way. Looking deep into his beautiful green eyes. She was lost in him. Just as he was lost in her. 

The bell was what caused them to look away from each other. They both let out a small smile and gathered their things, putting them into their backpacks. They made their way to the door of the classroom, shoulder to shoulder. His shoulder was tingling from hers bumping against his. Little did he know, she felt the same tingle. He didn’t want to walk away from her. He just wanted to stay close and be in their little bubble that nobody else was allowed into. But unfortunately, they had separate classes for this period. 

“Do you remember where to go for your next class or do you need me to show you again?” He didn’t want her to get lost, just like he didn’t want her to get lost yesterday. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was jealous when he saw Tim showing Ziva to her last class. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. He would never hurt her again. 

Ziva knew the way to her next class but she wanted to stay near to Tony. So, she shook her head no, that she needed help finding it again. Something she learned from her father was a photographic memory and a good sense of direction. It had stuck with her since she was around six years old. He nodded his head and smiled, unaware that she was lying about her ability to find her class. They walked again, shoulder to shoulder in the hallway to her Chemistry class, and gained some odd looks from others in the hallway. The walked to her next classroom and he dropped her off and told her he would come after class so they could walk to lunch together. Ziva saw him walk down to the other end of the hallway and then walked into her chemistry class.

Unfortunately, this was the class she shared with the four girls who clearly didn’t like her. She could see them in the back of the class in the corner, whispering to each other and laughing. She took the same seat from yesterday and pulled out her notebook. Chemistry was the type of class that felt like there were endless notes to be written down and remembered. She tuned into the teacher intently and watched as she wrote down things on the whiteboard and thoroughly explained what was being drawn. She liked this teacher. She seemed very kind and seemed like she really cared about the education of her students. About halfway through the class, Ziva felt a buzz in her pocket. She pulled out her new phone and placed it to where the teacher couldn’t see it and saw that it was a text. She didn’t recognize the number. She opened the message and smiled at what she saw.

202-078-1971: Hey, this is Tony. Hope it’s okay I gave you my number. I may have snuck it in when you were having trouble with it. 

Ziva (202-112-1982): That is fine, Tony. No trouble at all.

202-078-1971: Oh crap! I gotta go Jacobs saw I had my phone out. Have fun in Chemistry! Lol

Ziva (202-112-1982): See you after class. :)

She didn’t get a reply back which either meant his phone got taken by the teacher or he put it away before he could take it. She noticed that she was still in the clear with her teacher and quickly saved Tony’s number into her phone before putting it back into her pocket. She then tuned back in to see Mrs. Williams handing out a worksheet which she assumed would be today's homework. She had always enjoyed homework. Not because of the work, but because of the distraction it provided from her father. It would be a getaway from her father’s activities. She politely took the piece of paper and saw that it was front and back. Now that she was in America with more freedom, she couldn’t see a reason to enjoy homework. Maybe if it involved Tony. She smiled at that thought. Maybe they could do their homework together. Gosh! Why was she being such a girl? She had never been like this before. She had always put boys last, especially the popular ones. They were always so arrogant and needy where she came from. That seemed to be similar to America. Tony, however, seemed different after he explained himself to her.

The bell rang and her pocket buzzed again. That was...fast.

Tony: I’m in the hallway against the locker. Abby is wondering if you’ll be joining us for lunch. I told her that was up to you.

Ziva smiled at the text. It was sweet but at the same time, friendly. She walked out and saw Tony leaning against the locker just like he said. As she made her way over to him, she could sense someone behind her but shrugged it off seeing as it was a busy hallway. A shoulder collided with hers, shocking her and causing the books in her arm to fall onto the floor. She looked up to see Jeanne and her lackeys laughing as they looked at her and walked away. Tony saw what happened and rushed over to help her pick them up. They both stood up together and were face to face and closer than they expected to be. Tony looked down at her, as there was a significant height difference between them. She was looking up at him and she slightly blushed. Just like Tony, nobody had ever made her blush before. They heard the laughs around them from the fall, but they couldn’t hear them. They were in their world again. Their bubble. After about another minute they both broke eye contact and Ziva stuffed her books into her bag and they headed off to the cafeteria. They were walking closer if that was even possible. She liked being around him. Now that she could see the emotion, what she felt was the real Tony, she felt like she could trust him. She was already starting too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could you catch the mystery I put into the story? This was actually a really fun chapter to write. Hopefully the next will be up soon. Thanks for reading! See you in the next chapter!
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	10. Chapter Nine

Lunch went by fast. Abby and Tim worked on their remaining homework from Physics and AP Literature. Tony was showing Ziva more about her phone, seeing as she only knew how to text and call. He showed her all the features in the settings. When the bell rang, they threw their trash away and walked to their next classes. Tony and Ziva headed towards the gym while Tim and Abby headed towards Algebra Honors. 

Yesterday, Gym class was awful. Today, Tony hoped it would go better as he cleared some things up with Ziva and now he could really talk to her and show her around. They split off again and headed to the separate locker rooms. Like yesterday, Tony got dressed fairly quickly. He caught the glares that were sent into his direction, but he didn’t care. Jackson and his buddies left him alone today, something that Tony was grateful for. He tied his shoes and left the locker room. Surprisingly, Ziva was standing outside the bathroom next to the gym. He smiled at her gym wear and made his way over to her. 

Ziva sensed his presence and looked up to see his green eyes looking at her. More importantly, she saw his eyes rake her frame. Something that sent a shiver down her spine. She liked to have his attention. Something that she never really had before. Especially from a guy. Not to mention a very handsome guy. She practically melted on the inside when he would smile at her, something that he was doing now. She had never felt this way about someone, ever. After her father and brother died, she told herself to never get close to anyone, well except family. Then when her sister died, she promised herself she would never get too close to anybody ever again. She didn’t want to go through the heartbreak of someone leaving or dying. She had enough of that in her life. She wanted something permanent. That couldn’t be taken away from her. But Tony was breaking through that revelation. Breaking through to her heart and that terrified her. Her smile slightly lowered as she realized what was happening. She was letting him in way too quickly. Letting him in at all. 

As Tony was walking towards her, her smile faltered. Thoughts rang through his head as he thought of what he could’ve done. What somebody must have told her. He couldn’t think of anything else that would make her angry with him. He was less than 3 feet to her when he spoke.

“What’s wrong?” His eyes were filled with concern. Ziva snapped out of her stupor and looked at him with raised eyebrows. How could he tell something was wrong? Nobody could ever see that because she had always hidden it so well. 

“Nothing.” He could tell she was lying. Something was bothering her. Did it have to do with him? Was he being an idiot again? Did one of his other flings come up and talk to her about him?

“Ziva. Something’s wrong. I can tell. You might not want to talk about it, but your eyes won’t shut up.” He knew it somewhat sounded cheesy but it was true. Her eyes were filled with emotion. Filled with what looked to be sadness and...fear? What was she afraid of? Was she afraid of him? 

‘No way! This is Ziva. The same girl that kicked the shit out of Slacks. There’s no way she’s scared of me. So what’s bothering her?’ Different thoughts wouldn’t leave him alone. What was going on with her?

“It is nothing, Tony. Let us just get cooled down for gym.” She turned to walk away when Tony gently grabbed her arm, making her turn around and face him. He was having deja vu from yesterday when he had pulled the same move.

“You can trust me, Ziva. I would never hurt you.” Tears breached Ziva’s eyes. No! She wouldn’t cry. She was better than this. Crying was a weakness. She was not weak. Never had been and never will be. She won’t cry just because he showed genuine care for her. She felt that she was falling for him. Something that absolutely terrified her. She wouldn’t let that out. Even if it killed her. 

“I will tell you later.” She didn’t know if that was actually true. She might do a revised version to the real thing, but more than likely shake it off like it never happened. Tony gave her a suspicious look, telling her through his eyes that he didn’t believe her. He nodded anyway and she sighed in relief. They entered the gym together and all eyes went on them, more precisely on Ziva. Jeanne’s group was standing in the corner, glaring at them. They were standing closer than “friends” normally would. They didn’t care and they moved to the other side of the gym, ignoring the many looks that were cast their way. They stood in the opposite corner and Tony moved to block Ziva from the mean looks. He didn’t know why but whenever somebody did something to her, rage filled inside of him. Fear that she would be taken from him, even though they were just bullies in High School. 

Normally, Fornell wouldn’t arrive until after 10 minutes of class went by. Probably talking to Ms. Diane Sterling in the teacher’s lounge. Everybody around school knew they had the hots for each other but they were always fighting. Maybe that was what was good for their “relationship”. Tony looked Ziva up and down as she was looking around the gym. She saw all the cliques in the class and told herself that she didn’t want to be a part of any of them. She was perfectly fine with hanging out with Tony.

“I have a basketball game today after school. If you want to come we’re playing the school rival. Washington High. God those guys always find a way to one-up us. Not this year. We’re taking it all the way to the finals. Leave them in the dust.” Ziva’s eyebrows raised when she heard his last sentence. In her country, if you leave somebody in the dust, they’re dead. Tony saw her look of disbelief and somewhat fear. Something that was hidden way too far back for anybody to see. But he saw it. 

“What?” Again he was scared that he said the wrong thing. Ziva shook her head.

“Nothing. In my place of birth that normally means leaving people to die. It just took me by surprise that is all.” Tony looked at the ground for a split second and then looked back up at her and was about to speak when her phone dinged. Her face was written with confusion as she pulled it out of her pocket. There was another unknown number on her screen.

202-327-1969: Hey Ziva! It’s Abby! Tony gave me your number so we could talk! Hope that’s cool!

Ziva (202-112-1982): Hello Abby. Yes, it is fine. We are currently waiting for Mr.Fornell to get into class.

202-327-1969: Oh yeah! I just saw him in the hallway talking with Ms. Sterling. They need to see what’s right in front of them! It’s honestly so sweet but kinda creepy to see two teachers flirting.

Ziva let out a laugh. It was a wonder that Abby got any work done with how much she talked. She didn’t mind, Abby was becoming a good friend to her. If she liked to talk so be it. Ziva looked up at Tony when she chuckled and saw him looking at her strange.

“It is Abby.” Recognition spread across his face.

“I hope you don’t mind that I gave your number to them. They just wanted to be able to talk to you even outside of school.” Ziva nodded. She looked up at him quickly.

“Did you say them?” She didn’t want many people to have her number, no matter who they were. 

“The only other person I gave it to was Tim. Nobody else, promise.” His cheeks blushed a tad as he looked up at her. 

“Oh. Well, Tim is fine. Just don’t be giving out my number to everyone.” She let out a chuckle, signaling to him that she was only half-joking. 

“Deal.” Her phone buzzed again and she suspected that it would be Abby but it was another unknown number.

‘Must be Tim.’ She figured as she opened the message. 

202-913-1978: Hey Ziva, it’s Tim. Sorry to bother you just figured I would text you to see if you were okay. I heard about what happened in the hallway before lunch.

His text made her smile. They cared for her like nobody else had and she wouldn’t let that go. Ever. Tony saw her smile and wondered what Abby had said.

“That was Tim.” Jealousy suddenly fired up inside Tony as he heard Tim’s name. Why was he jealous of his own brother? Tim was in love with Abby, of that he was sure. He didn’t need to be jealous of his computer-obsessed brother. But, he couldn’t help it when it came to Ziva. He didn’t know why that was but he had the suspicion that he was falling for her, and fast. 

“What did he say?” He couldn’t help himself from being curious, and nosy. Ziva raised her eyebrow at him but smiled.

“He was just asking if I was okay from what happened in the hallway earlier.” Tony nodded.

Ziva (202-112-1982): I am fine, Tim. Nothing that I couldn’t handle. Tony was there to help me pick everything up.

202-913-1978: Don’t worry about Jeanne and her “friends” they will torment anybody who doesn’t worship them. 

Ziva’s eyebrows furrowed. What had she done to Tim? She would admit that she was curious but she wouldn’t ask. Afraid that he might think that she was being nosy. Unlike Tony over there.

Ziva (202-112-1982): Thank you, Tim. I must go, I can hear Mr. Fornell coming. Will talk to you later.

202-913-1978: Have fun in gym. See you later.

Ziva saved both Tim and Abby’s phone numbers into her phone. She liked having them as friends. They seemed like good people. Fornell walked into the gym with the whistle in his mouth and blew on it, signaling that they needed to get in their lines to stretch. Tony and Ziva stretched together today and laughed at Tony’s jokes and movie references. 

Today they were going to be playing basketball. Something Ziva knew absolutely nothing about. Tony turned to her and asked if she would be his partner, just like he did Math earlier. She nodded, seeing as she wanted to learn how to play, why not get pointers from the point-guard of the team himself? Tony went over and grabbed a ball and they made their way over to an open hoop. Tony took a shot and swished it in the net. Something that secretly impressed Ziva. She also couldn’t help notice the way his muscles tightened and relaxed upon moving his arms. 

“I must admit. I do not know how this game works.” She looked sheepishly down at the ground then back up at him, biting her bottom lip. Which unknown to her, did a number on him. He gulped and struggled to control his breathing when she did that. 

“That’s okay. I can teach you.” His smile was radiant. Something that was soon stretched across her own face. He grabbed the ball and put his hand on it like he was going to shoot. 

“You put your dominant hand in the middle to give it power and your non-dominant hand on the side to keep it in place.” He put his hands in the positions he said and pulled up, causing the ball to end up right above his head. His hands were in the same place as they were when he placed them there a minute ago. He flicked his wrist sending the ball flying towards the goal and it hit the backboard and fell into the net. Ziva watched intently, wanted to absorb this information so she could play this popular game correctly. She grabbed the ball and put her hands like Tony did and pulled it up and fired. It hit the right corner of the goal and went to the opposite side of the gym. Tony ran after it and handed it to her to try again.

“You see the square in the middle of the backboard?” She nodded as she saw the white outline right above the net. 

“Hit there. Nine times out of ten it’ll go in.” She set up in her position.

“Hold on.” He moved behind her, put his hands on top of hers, and adjusted them. He then helped her move her legs into a better position so that she could remain stable when she came back down. She felt tingles all around her body as he touched her. She could feel his breath on her neck and gulped as she steadied her breathing so that nothing would be given away. He moved away from her and told her to shoot. She pulled up and shot the ball towards the goal again. This time, however, it went in. Tony laughed and turned to look at her with a smile on her face.

“Nice shot, Sweetcheeks.” He went and retrieved the ball from where it landed after the shot took place. Not even realizing that he called her by a pet-name. Ziva’s blush reminded him of what he said and instantly he tried to defend himself.

“I didn’t mean to say that. I don’t know why I did. I…” He rambled. Ziva put her hand up with a slight smirk on her face. 

“It is okay, Tony. Thank you for teaching me.” Tony smiled at her, looking into her eyes and drifting down to look at her lips. Ziva was doing the same thing. Just as his temptation got the best of him and he leaned in, their phones went off. They pulled back looking at each other with smiles as they reached to retrieve their buzzing phones. It was from Abby.

Abby: Hey guys! Figured I would make a group chat for all of us! Tony, you might have to teach Ziva how to use it. Now we can all talk with each other without separate messages. 

Ziva smiled as she replied.

Ziva: I know how a group chat works, Abby. Thank you for including me.

The reply was almost immediate.

Abby: Cool! Are you guys going to the game tonight?

This time it was Tony that replied.

Tony: Well yeah, Abbs. I kinda have to be there.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and laughed. 

Abby: Well I know you’re going Tony, but what about Ziva and Tim? It’s going to be a big game tonight. So Tony, you better bring your A-game.

Tony: You know I will Abbs.

Tim: I’ll be going. Come on, we gotta beat them this year. They’ve been celebrating early.

Ziva knew they were talking about basketball and it amused her to no end that she and Tony were standing less than 5 feet from each other. Should be going to support the school and they’re basketball team. At least, that’s what she would tell everybody. She knew she really just wanted to see Tony. Not that anybody but she would know that. 

She would go to see how Americans spent their time and the fact that Tony would be there was an added bonus.


	11. Chapter Ten

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. Movie critique included Tony talking with her throughout the entire class about different film-makers and the movies they made. She listened intently to his enthusiastic comments on films. This made her smile. He clearly had a strong love for the films. When the class was over, they made their way out of their class and met up with Tim and Abby at their lockers. Tim and Abby had lockers right next to each other with Ziva’s being 3 lockers to the left of them. Tony was 2 to the left of her, as well. Tony and Ziva made their way to their lockers to retrieve their books and things and they all walked to the gym. Tony looked through the door window and saw Fornell already in there setting up everything for their game. He turned to Ziva and took off his letterman jacket and handed it to her.

“What are you doing, Tony?” Tony smiled as she was handed the jacket.

“Well, I can’t wear it during the game. Could you hang onto it for me? That way they know who you're rooting for.” Ziva smiled and stared into his sparkling green eyes. She nodded and as he walked away, she wrapped the jacket around her and smelled the scent that could only be described as Tony. Her smile became brighter, completely ignoring Tim and Abby who were standing beside her smiling as if they had won the lottery. They didn’t say anything as the three of them made their way into the gym and found a seat on the bleachers. Ziva looked around and noticed some people from her classes. She noticed Jeanne in the corner warming up with the other cheerleaders. She smiled as she caught a whiff of Tony’s scent on his jacket. She liked how his scent surrounded her. How her heart started beating uncontrollably. She couldn’t help herself as she pulled out her phone and tapped Tony’s name in the messages app.

Ziva: Good luck tonight. I know that you will do great. :)

She wasn’t expecting a response, but she received one immediately.

Tony: Knowing that you’re in the stands cheering me on will make me do much better. ;)

Ziva: I am getting many looks from your jacket.

Tony: Don’t worry about that. They know who you’re rooting for.

Ziva: Good luck tonight, Tony. See you after the game.

Tony: Sounds good. Talk to you later.

Ziva put her phone back into her pocket. She couldn’t help but think about his flirting throughout their conversations. She blushed as she thought about him in that way. Maybe letting him in wouldn’t be a bad thing. She was away from all the violence of her country, maybe now she could live a little. She was away from her father and his control. She could be a teenager now. She could decide her own future now. If Tony wanted to be in her future, then she was perfectly fine with that. 

She turned to look at Tim and Abby. They were looking at Tim’s phone. She turned back to look at the court seeing as they were talking way to advanced for her. She noticed Jeanne glaring at her. More importantly, at the jacket she was wearing. She let out a small smirk and looked around the gym again. 15 minutes later, the “enemy” team started warming up on their side of the court. She noticed how many guys sent her appreciative glances. The only person that could do that was Tony. 

‘Wait, what?’ Tony wasn’t hers. They weren’t together. Why was she thinking this? Sure, she loved being around him but she also just met him. Maybe, later on, they could explore something along that line, but as of now? No. They were just friends.

‘Keep telling yourself that.’ Her thoughts made her blush. The announcer, who was one of the seniors in the beta club, came on the intercom and welcomed everybody to the game. He announced the other team, Washington High, and proceeded to read off all of their names. Up next, was their team. They went by numbers and the boys were called out onto the court. 

“NUMBER 7, GERALD JACKSON!” The crowd around her went wild as an about 6’1 guy came out of the tunnel. He kissed his hand and sent it to the bleachers. 

“NOW FOR OUR POINT-GAURD. NUMBER 8, TONY GIBBS!” Ziva sees Tony run out and he looked around the gym. When he layed eyes on her, he smiled. Ziva returned the smile and sent him a slight wave. He returned the wave and made his way in front of her, seating himself on the team bleachers below her. This was a new experience for her. She had never gone to an outing like this before. She would always be stuck in the backyard fighting a stupid wood thing. Or, she would be with her father and learning every language he could possibly teach her. She liked this new life. The ability to go out and have fun pretty much whenever she felt like it.

She tuned back into the game and Abby turned to talk to her.

“This is called the tip-off. It’s where we see who gets possession of the ball first. Our basket is on the right, there’s is on the left. We gotta beat them this year. They always crush us and teepee our school statue out front before they leave school grounds. Probably have toilet paper stashed away in the back of their bus.” She smiled as Abby was very enthusiastic about beating this team. 

“You seem very enthusiastic.” Tim let out a laugh.

“She’s always like that.” Abby punched him lightly in the shoulder and he just kept laughing. Ziva started as well. Were they a couple or were they just good friends? Again, she tuned in to the game to see Tony on the court in the back while 4 other players stood in a circle in the middle of the court. The ref tossed the ball into the air and what Abby called the center from our team, jumped and caught the ball and passed it to Tony. Tony then dribbled the ball down the court and passed the ball to his left to another player. He then charged to the goal and was passed the ball and he layed it up, causing the ball to go through the net. The crowd cheered around her again and clapped. She looked at the scoreboard and noticed that there was the number 2 now under MFHS. She looked at Abby.

“Why are there two points? Shouldn’t there only be one?” Abby let out a chuckle.

“True. There’s a chance to get from 1-3 points from shooting. What Tony just scored was a two-pointer. If he goes behind that arch and shoots, he’ll get 3. When there’s a foul, the person that got fouled will go to the line and will normally get two shots. That’s one point each shot.” Ziva nodded her head, understanding. This was an interesting game. She was beginning to love to watch it. Especially since every time, Tony would score, he would at Ziva and wink. She smiled and blushed a light shade of red. She could definitely get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I play basketball? Thank you for reading. This one was a little short, hopefully the next one will be longer. 
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	12. Chapter Eleven

The game ended after the overtime quarter (Which means the teams were tied in the fourth quarter and need to determine a winner so they added another quarter to the game.) The score was 68-66. Michael Franks Washington beating Washington High by two points. The people in the stands were screaming and jumping on the bleachers. They had finally beaten their rival. Tony looked around the stands and locked eyes with Ziva. She was smiling brightly at the scoreboard and of the chaos going around the gym. She was looking around at the excitement that was spreading around this room. She locked eyes with Tony and her smile became brighter. He moved over to the bleachers and saw Ziva, Abby, and McGee as well as his parents standing and cheering for his school and their basketball team. 

After 10 minutes, things finally started to settle down. Tony and his team moved to the locker room where they all cheered after their win against their big rival. Tony got pats on the back from most of his teammates. He hurriedly gathered his things and changed and left the locker room. As he walked into the hallway he saw Ziva, Abby, and Tim, along with his parents, waiting for him, leaning against the wall talking. He locked eyes with Ziva and started making his way over to her. Um them. As he was walking, a hand grabbed his shoulder and wouldn’t let go. He turned around to see Jeanne standing there with a smile on her face and batting her eyelashes. He yanked his shoulder away from her and started walking towards Ziva and his family again. Her hand gripped his shoulder once more. He turned around, ready to tell her off. 

“What do you want, Jeanne?” His voice was filled with venom. Something that Jeanne seemed to ignore. 

“Wanna join me at the Sacks’ house for the after-game party? I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun.” Tony gave her a look of hatred. He knocked her hand off his shoulder once more and looked at her.

“Leave me alone, Jeanne. And don’t touch me ever again.” With that, he turned around and walked to Ziva again. Jeanne didn’t make another attempt at him. As he saw Ziva, his glare made its way into a smile. She was sending a glare over in Jeanne’s direction. Something that made his heart flutter. She was jealous. He liked that she was protective of him. He didn't know how much, but he was very protective of her too. 

He walked over and his dad gave him a pat on the back. Tony had scored 46 of the 68 points tonight. People would say that it was skill, but in reality, it was the fact that Ziva was there and he wanted to impress her. 

“Did you see the look on Jacobs' face when you scored that three-pointer? Looked like he was about to shit himself.” Gibbs laughed. Jenny lightly slapped him in the arm, as they were in a public place and it wasn’t just the family and Abby. There was a beautiful girl standing close to Tony. She assumed that this was Ziva. 

“Hi. I’m Jenny Gibbs. Tony’s mother. Excuse my husband, he’s normally a functional mute. At least, until it comes to sports.” Gibbs smirked. Ziva smiled at the love that she could see between the two adults. 

“It is very nice to meet you. I am Ziva.” She went to shake their hands which they accepted happily. Gibbs turned to look at her and noticed she looked like someone that he knew. Ziva saw this and turned her head to the side and squinted her eyebrows together. Gibbs. She had heard her father say many things about this man. Manly how stubborn and addicted to coffee he was. 

“Gibbs? As in Leroy Jethro Gibbs?” Ziva hesitantly asked, not wanting to seem creepy. Gibbs nodded his head slightly. The family around them could only watch the interaction. 

“My father has told me many things about you. Mainly good as you have a strong work ethic. Something my father greatly appreciated when working with you.” Then it clicked for Gibbs and he raised his head to her.

“Eli David was your father?” Ziva nodded.

“Yes sir.” Ziva had always been polite. Something her mother practically branded her into at a young age. She would always say “Nobody will respect you if you don’t show some respect and manners yourself.” It was always something that Ziva took to heart as she believed her mother to be correct. 

Gibbs looked at her within hidden emotion. He had heard that Eli David’s remaining family had moved to the U.S. He didn’t expect his oldest son to become smitten with his oldest daughter. He knew how much of a hard-ass Eli was, especially when it came to his family.

“I’m sorry for loss.” Ziva nodded her head, a silent thank you. 

“Enough sadness! Let’s go get some ice cream!” Abby yelled. She hated it when people were sad and it seemed like Ziva really didn’t want to have this conversation. Everybody agreed and they made their way out to their separate vehicles. Tony drove his 1969 Mustang and offered Ziva a ride to the ice cream parlor. Tim drove with Abby in his 1970 Audi, something that they always did as they were very close friends and her hot rod was always causing problems. Gibbs and Jenny drove in Gibbs’ Ford F250 as the company charger was normally for too and from work. 

Tony and Ziva climbed into the mustang and followed Jenny and Gibbs with Tim and Abby behind them. They made it to Presidential Scoops (actually a real place in Washington D.C.) and went inside. There were many people crowded into the little building that was the ice cream parlor. Many noticed Tony and his varsity jacket and patted him on the back for his job well done in their game tonight. He said thanks but went right back to his conversation with Ziva about some things that she was confused about from the game. 

“How hard do you have to hit someone for it to be a foul?” She asked, not wanting Tony to be hurt in this game he found so enjoyable. Tony shrugged.

“Honestly not that hard. If somebody from the other team practically touches you that’s a foul. Sometimes it can be a charge foul, you know where they actually try to hurt you.” Ziva nodded. She had seen one instance when that had happened tonight. Somebody totally nailed Jackson and was called to the free-throw line. The other player was on the bench for the rest of the game. 

“So that is why he was on the bench the rest of the game?” 

“Well, he had five fouls which means that he couldn’t play in the game anymore.” Ziva’s mouth formed an O shape as she got what he was saying. They ordered their ice cream. Tony got strawberry and Ziva got mint chocolate chip. It was no Berry Mango Madness but it would do. It was actually very good. She turned around and saw that Abby had gotten chocolate and Tim had gotten peanut butter. Surprisingly, there was a coffee flavor that they served, which of course Gibbs got. Jenny got orange sherbert. They all moved to a table outside of the parlor as all the seats had been taken. Many others must have had the same idea as they did as the parlor only became more crowded. They all ate their ice cream together and talked about the game. Ziva’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She didn’t want to take it out of her pocket, not wanting to be rude, but she wondered if it was her mother. She reached behind her and grabbed a hold of her phone and unlocked the screen. It was her mother. 

Ima: Where are you, Ziva? You said you would be home after school. It is 8 PM.

Ziva wanted to smack herself on the forehead. How could she forget to tell her mother where she was and what she was doing? But more importantly, who she was with. Ever since Ari was killed, she had been very protective and Ziva and Tali. Not wanting anything to happen to her daughters. When Tali died, she upd the anney, and Ziva had finally reasoned with her to stop hounding her. Even though she knew her mother was just scared for Ziva to be out and about, it was interfering with Ziva’s freedom. She was finally away from the burden of Israel and looked forward to the countless opportunities to be free in this country.

Ziva: I am sorry, Ima. Tony had a basketball game today and he wanted me to come. I met his parents after and we are eating ice cream not too far from the house.

She knew that her mother didn’t trust people and she was surprised that she actually took a liking to Tony so early. I guess that ran in the family as she was quite smitten with him herself. Her mother’s reply came back as fast as she could type. 

Ima: I do not want you out too late tonight. We still have boxes to unpack. You still need to get your room situated. 

Her mother never liked messes. Especially nowadays. She would clean every Saturday and sometimes every Wednesday when Eli had a drunken fit some nights, and she would fight to put him to bed. Something Ziva was very glad would not happen now. Yes, she missed her father, but he never acted like a father to her only like a sperm donor. He had always shown Tali that side of affection, but when it came to her, it had always vanished as soon as he saw her. She didn’t know what she did to make that spark leave his eyes. She had always tried to please him, but it would go to no avail. Eventually, she had given up seeing as it wasn’t worth her time when all he did was turn his nose up at her.

Ziva: I will be home soon, Ima. 

Ima: Will you need me to pick you up?

She looked up and saw that Tony was looking at her with a smile on his face. 

“I can take you home. Tell her not to worry her pretty little head about it.” Ziva smiled and let out a chuckle. No doubt this was some of his charm.

Ziva: No. Tony said that he will bring me home.

Ima: Okay. Be careful. I love you, Zivaleh.

Ziva smiled.

Ziva: Love you too, Ima.

Her mother was all that she had left now. She loved her very deeply and knew that her mother felt the same. Just because they moved here from bad experiences, didn’t mean that they had to dwell on them any longer. They had a fresh start and Ziva planned on taking that. Especially with the man, she was sitting next too.


	13. Chapter Twelve

After they had all eaten their ice cream, they made small talk for about another hour or so. Tony turned to Ziva and smiled as he noticed she was still wearing his jacket. He looked at his watch and noticed that it was almost 9:30. He had seen the text from Rivka to Ziva and decided that it was about time to take her home. 

“Hey Guys, it’s getting late and I need to get Ziva home. I don’t want Rivka upset with me.” Ziva chuckled.

“My mother loves you but yes I should get home. Thank you for inviting me. I had a fun time tonight. I have never had ice cream before so this was a first for me. Thank you.” Abby almost fell out of her chair.

“You’ve never had ice cream before?!” Ziva shook her head. She was never allowed ice cream. Another one of her father's unrealistic ideals for her life. Gibbs looked at her with wow in his eyes. Gibbs made a silent promise to protect this girl with everything that he had. Like Tony, he felt a pull towards her, not exactly like Tony, but more of a fatherly protector. She had been practically dictated her entire life and now she could finally live 18 years later. 18 years too late. 

Everybody stood up from their chairs, all deciding that it was time to go home as it was getting late, and made their way to their respective cars. Tony opened the passenger side door for Ziva and she stepped in with a small on her face. He went around the car and hopped in on his side and started the engine. They made their way to Ziva’s house in silence. Neither sure what they should talk about. Tony turned to look at her and let out a small smirk when he noticed that Ziva was looking at him too. He looked back to the road and turned the radio up so they weren’t in complete silence. 

They pulled into Ziva’s driveway, and just like before, Tony got out and went around to her door to open it. Ziva gave him a sly smile and looked into his beautiful green eyes that were even more beautiful in the night light. God, he was a sight to behold. He walked her up to her door and saw that the porch light was on. No doubt Rivka was waiting for her to get home. She turned to look at him just as they got to the car. He was standing closer to her than she expected and made a quick glance at his lips before looking into his eyes again. He couldn’t help but lean in a bit towards her. The temptation to kiss her was way stronger than it was earlier. They were mere inches from each other when the light in the living room inside the house turned on. Both sensing that Rivka was still up and waiting for her, they stepped apart. Wanting to put some distance between them. Tony gulped and went wide-eyed as he realized what he was about to do. He didn’t want to cross a line. Didn’t want to pressure her into anything. He didn’t want her to go back to her previous thoughts about him. That he was just trying to get into her pants.

Ziva saw his hesitation. Was there something wrong with her? Was he embarrassed or ashamed to kiss her? It was almost like he could read her thoughts. He placed his hand on the side of her cheek and looked her in the eye as he spoke.

“I want to. I really do…” He leaned in a little further, proving his point that she had a hold over him. She leaned in as well. They were millimeters apart when Tony pulled back again.

“Ziva…” All of a sudden, the front door opened to reveal Rivka on the other side with a small smirk on her face. Tony and Ziva looked her way with wide eyes. Tony gulped again and moved away from Ziva. 

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning for school. If you would like me too, that is.” Ziva gave him a slight nod, embarrassed that her mother caught them. 

“I would like that.” She whispered. He smiled and nodded. He made his way back to his car and with a wave pulled out of the driveway and into the night.

Ziva turned to look at her mother, who she couldn’t help but notice the giant smile plastered on her face.

“What?” Ziva asked, already knowing what it was about.

“I used to be that way with your father. He used to look at me that way.” Immediately, Ziva went on the defensive.

“Tony is nothing like Abba, Ima.” Rivka nodded her head sadly. 

“Your father was not always that way, Zivaleh. He used to be a good man.”

“I find that very hard to believe.” Ziva scoffed. After all he did to her, she was supposed to believe him to be a good man?

“Eli was never the same once he joined Mossad, neither was Ari.” Ziva looked at the lights that were illuminating the streets around them. Rivka kept speaking even though Ziva wished she would stop this conversation before it became too hurtful. 

“Ziva. You are smitten with this boy and he you. Embrace it. Let him in. I can see that you want to.” 

“Everyone who gets close always ends up dead. Eli, Ari, and now Tali. I can not afford to lose anyone else.” Rivka again looked away sadly. 

“Zivaleh.” Ziva shook her head and stepped into the house, making her way up the stairs to her bedroom that was still littered with boxes. She moved over to one and pulled away at the top. What she saw inside made her cry. It was a picture of Ari, Tali, and herself when they were kids. Ari around the age of 12, Ziva around the age of 8, and Tali around the age of 4. They were so innocent, so childlike. What happened to the family that she used to know? Oh right, it was all taken away from her. From a hardcore father to death. Nothing about her family was even remotely normal. 

Ziva looked around her room to see where she could place the photo. She settled on the empty spot on her dresser next to her grandmother’s jewelry box. She looked around her room once more. They had painted the day before and her room was now a beautiful shade of dark blue. Her bed having a white comforter, matched perfectly with the paint and was quite comfortable. She had a nightstand with a lamp on it next to her bed and a desk with binders and notebooks piled up on top of it next to it. Her dresser was a beautiful oak wood and fit perfectly in the space between her closet. She had her own bathroom too. Something she wasn’t even remotely used to. 

She always had to share a bathroom with her siblings and other guests that came to their house. Now, she had this private bathroom where she could take long hot showers and stay in the bath for however long she wanted. 

Ziva moved over to her desk and sat down in her chair. She pulled out her Chemistry notebook and pulled her homework out of the folder. She solved the first 5 problems fairly quickly and was about to move onto her next problem when her phone buzzed beside her. It was from Tony. 

Tony: Hey. My family and I are having a BBQ tomorrow night. Would you want to come? 

Ziva’s face scrunched up in confusion.

Ziva: What is a BBQ?

Tony: A Barbeque. Maybe there we can teach you some American slang.

Ziva smiled. He would never forget to fix her English. 

Ziva: Great. What time?

Tony: Sweet! Around 7. Is that okay? 

Ziva: Sounds good.

Tony: Hey Zi, can I ask you a question?

Ziva’s smile became bigger. Her heart beating rapidly. 

Ziva: Of course.

Tony: Can I call you?

Ziva: Yes.

Her phone began ringing immediately. She laughed as there was no hesitation. She hit the answer button and was met with Tony’s voice.

“Hey Zi. I need your help with something if you’re willing to that is.”

“Ask away.” She could practically feel his smile on the other end of the line. 

“So I was wondering about this math homework. Math’s never been good to me and I know you understand it a whole lot better than I do. Can you help me with a couple of problems?” 

By this time, Ziva had already pulled out her math notebook and folder and was pulling out their math homework. 

“What questions do you need help with?” This time there was some hesitation on his end.

“Uhh...like all of them. I think after someone explains the first three or so, I’ll be able to get the rest.”

“Okay. I am going to put you on speakerphone so I do not have to hold it. Be nice.” Ziva’s laugh rang through the phone and he followed soon after. 

They worked on their problems together, Ziva showing him how to do them, and Tony listening intently to the information that she was providing. When Tony finally got it, they both worked on their homework together, Tony checking to make sure he was right, which he was. Tony finally understood what they were doing as of right now in this class. Math always kicked his ass no matter how hard he studied it. Not that he did much of that, but still, a total train wreck.

“Thank you for helping me. I think I'll get a better grade on that quiz tomorrow. Thanks, Zi.” 

“No problem, Tony. Anytime.” 

“Really?” His tone was mischievous and playful, something that made Ziva laugh again. 

“Homework, Tony.” His laugh made butterflies appear in her stomach. Something that only he was able to do. 

They talked about school and their other classes for about an hour and a half before Ziva noticed the clock on her nightstand. 

“It is getting late, Tony. I should probably head to bed. I will see you tomorrow, yes?” 

“Yeah. See you in the morning...Sweetcheeks.” Ziva smiled. She liked this new nickname. Well only when it was just them. Not in front of everybody.

“Good night, Tony.” 

“Night, Ziva.” Ziva pulled the phone from her ear and reluctantly hung up the phone. She could stay up all night and talk to him. Something she had never even thought of doing before. Everything was different now. And as she was drifting off to sleep under her warm comforter, she couldn’t believe how happy she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this update. My life has been busy as of late and I haven't been able to even glance at my computer. Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully, my uptime with become better in the following weeks. Thank you. :)
> 
> Reviews are always welcome.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Ziva woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. She looked over at her clock and noticed that it was 7:15. She smiled as she remembered that Tony was picking her up today. She couldn’t get over their almost kiss last night. What would’ve happened if her mother hadn't interrupted them? She smiled as she thought about it. She would have liked that outcome. She jumped out of her bed and headed towards her bathroom. She stripped from her clothes and got into the shower. 

About five minutes away, Tony was doing the same thing. He was singing Sinatra, something everybody in the house was accustomed to. His mind flashed back to last night. He almost gave in to the temptation that was pulling him every which way. More than anything he wanted to kiss her. Wanted to be with her. Was it too soon? It was too soon. Right? He turned the nozzle to the shower off and hoped out. He grabbed his towel and dried himself off. He looked in the mirror of his bathroom and looked at the reflection that met him. Even after the few days they had known each other, she had changed him so much. He smiled at himself. He went into his room and noticed that his jacket was missing. He then remembered that Ziva had it. He smiled as he remembered her wearing it during his game last night. Maybe she would wear it today. 

He went to his dresser and pulled out an Ohio State t-shirt. He pulled it over his head, then walked to his closet and pulled out a pair of blue jeans. He went back to the bathroom and finished getting ready. He made his way down to the kitchen and was met again by weird looks and confused expressions. His family still wasn’t used to him getting up like this. 

He moved over to the pantry and grabbed the Frosted Flakes and the milk from the fridge. Tim looked over and him as he sat down.

“Are you ready for the math quiz?” Tony nodded.

“Yeah. Zi helped with my homework last night and I got a pretty good handle on it. Well, I think.” 

Jenny and Gibbs shared a look.

“Zi?” Tony looked up at them, eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah? Ziva.” Jenny’s eyes lit up whenever her sons did. Right now they were shining like bright emeralds. Ziva was something special to Tony, even though they only met a few days ago. Everybody finished up their breakfast and headed their separate ways. Tony and Tim to school in their separate cars and Gibbs and Jenny in the company car. Tony drove the drive to Ziva’s house and pulled into her driveway. He turned off the engine and jumped out of the car. He moved to the porch and knocked on the front door. Not even a minute later, Rivka opened the door with a smile on her face. 

“Hello, Tony.”

“Hey, Mrs. David.” 

“Oh, please. Call me Rivka. Come in, she’s just finishing her breakfast.” She opened the door a little more so that he could enter the house. Tony followed her into the house and saw Ziva sitting at the island, eating what looked to be cheerios. She looked up and saw him looking at her and smiled. Her spoon dropped into the bowl and her mother came around and picked it up. Rivka put the spoon and the bowl into the dishwasher and turned around to see Tony and Ziva staring at each other. Something in their eyes made her smile, as it seemed like they were the only ones in the room. Tony looked up and met Rivka’s eyes.

“Would it be okay if I took her to school?” Rivka smiled.

“Of course. Will you be driving her home as well?” Tony looked at Ziva and silently asked her with his eyes if that would be okay. Ziva looked at her mother and smiled.

“Yes, he will be bringing me home, Ima.” Tony nodded. 

“Okay. Would you mind bringing her straight home after school? We still have tons of boxes that need to be unpacked. I am ready for my house to be presentable.” All three of them laughed.

“If you want when I drop her off, I can help put things away. I don’t have practice or anything, so I’m free.” Rivka and Ziva looked at each other and each gave a small smirk. 

“If you do not mind, that would be lovely, Tony.” Rivka smiled. This really was a nice kid. Ziva looked at her watch and noticed the time.

“We better get going, Ima. We do not need to be late.” 

“Right. Well, I guess I will see you both after school.” Ziva grabbed her backpack and they headed out the door. Tony went around and opened the car door for her. She smiled at his gesture. By now, he’s done it 3 to 4 times and it still manages to bring a smile to her face. He went around to his side of the car and hopped in. He cranked the car and pulled out of the driveway. About a minute into the drive, Tony looked over to see her staring at him. He couldn’t get the almost- kiss out of his head. God knows how much he wanted to and he probably would have if Rivka hadn’t have opened the door. Little did he know, Ziva was thinking along the same thing. 

“Can I ask you something?” Tony whispered. 

“Of course.” Tony hesitated before he spoke. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came up. 

“Uh…never mind…” 

“Tony.” He looked back at the road and stared at it like it was some precious jewel. 

“What happened last night?” He finally asked. She looked out of her window. 

“We almost kissed.” She said after a minute or two. 

“I know.” She then looked back at him.

“But we did not. I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.” Tony looked over at her again. Hurt clouding his features. 

“Can we not have this conversation now, in the car, on the way to school?” Tony nodded.

“Yeah. You’re right. Sorry.” Ziva smiled.

“I thought that you said apologizing was a sign of weakness?” Tony chuckled, not in the mood for a full laugh. Maybe she would talk with him later.

“Yeah. Can you make me a promise?” 

“It depends on the promise.” Tony smirked.

“Can you promise me that you’ll talk with me about this later?” Ziva sighed.

“I will try my best.” Tony nodded, that’s all that he would ask for. They pulled into the school parking lot and Tony pulled into his space. Ziva went to open her door but her arm dropped as Tony had already opened it for her. He smiled at her with that grin that could only be described as charming. She smiled back at him and stepped out of the car. She moved to get her backpack from the backseat, but again, Tony was there holding it for her. She took it and they made their way to the entrance. They saw Tim and Abby standing to the right of the doors, talking enthusiastically about something. They both looked up when shadows came upon them.

“Hey Guys!” Abby sprung out and hugged both of them.

“Abs...can’t breathe.” Abby let go, still with a giant smile on her face. It was amazing how she could be happy this early in the morning.

“Abs, how many Caf-Pow!’s have you had today?” Abby shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know like 6.” Ziva looked at her like she had three heads.

“Abby, it is only 7:45 in the morning.” Abby shrugged her shoulders again like this was something normal. She looked over at Tony who was just smiling at the expression on her face. 

“Is this normal?” She whispered, hoping that Abby wouldn’t overhear. Tony chuckled.

“Yep. Caf-Pow! Is her all-time favorite drink and if she doesn’t have any then well, you kinda want to run.” Abby lightly punched him the arm. The whole group started laughing. They quieted as they saw Sacks and Langer approach them. One look at Ziva from both the boys had them gulping, but apparently they came here to say something. Sacks looked Ziva up and down, something that didn’t sit well with her. Tony just wanted to punch the man in the mouth for how he was looking at her. 

“Hey Ziva. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but how about we go get a bite to eat and talk? I’m great company.” He flashed his smile that made most of the girls in the school melt. Ziva was completely immune to it. The only smile that made her melt inside was Tony’s. Being the mature, responsible teenager that she was, she decided to play nice and just let him down slowly. 

“I am sorry, but I cannot.” Sacks looked confused. Most of the girls in this school if he asked them out would be dying to accept his offer.

“Are you sure? I think we’ll have a good time.” He licked his lips, something that made Ziva’s skin crawl.

“Positive.” Her voice was strong and determined. Something that shocked the bullies.

“Okay. Well you're missing out on the best night of your life.” Ziva was getting impatient and angry that he wouldn’t leave her alone.

“I think I will manage.” She wanted to get him away from her as fast as possible. He was giving her the creeps. As if he read her mind, Tony stepped in front of her and put his hands in his pockets.

“Don’t you have class to go too? Or are you skipping like normal?” His tone was snappy. Something Ziva hadn’t experienced with him yet. 

“Leave it to Gibbs to step up. I’m having a conversation with her, how about you talk to your geeks over there.” He pointed over to Tim and Abby. 

“How about you leave her alone? Or do we need a repeat of the other day? She’s not the only one that can fight, Slacks.” Sacks’ expression became angry.

“For the last time, it’s Sacks. But of course you wouldn’t know that since you probably can’t even read.” 

“Get out of her, Slacks.” He stretched out his last name to annoy him even further. Around this time, the bell rang and Sacks looked back over at Ziva.

“If you change your mind, you’ll know where to find me.” With that him and Langer walked away with anger in their footsteps. Ziva turned back to Tony. She noticed the angry glint that was in his eye. She wished for the playful, mischievous one back. 

“Come on. Let us go to class. We do not need to be late.” They all nodded their heads and entered the building. Tony and Ziva made their way to math in one direction, while Abby and Tim made their way too physics in the other. The same thought was ringing through all of their minds.

Today was going to be a long day.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

The day had gone by fairly quickly as class had gone smoothly and Jeanne and her lackeys stayed on their side of the classroom. Tony and Ziva exited their movie critique class and made their way to his car. She had been going over their conversation all day. Sometimes, zoning out in the middle of class. She would be thinking about what she would say, how she would say it, and if she wanted to say it at all. Tony had been nothing but a gentleman all day, something that made her smile and have butterflies in her stomach.

They sat down in their seats and Tony turned the key into ignition. Tony pulled out of his parking spot and headed towards Ziva’s house. They pulled into her driveway and hopped out. They made their way to the front door and Ziva pulled out her key. She unlocked the door and moved inside with Tony right behind her. Rivka was in the kitchen with 3 boxes surrounding her. They moved over to her and noticed the appliances all around the counters. They were put into their places, neatly and organized. It was like a restaurant. 

“Ima, we are home.” Rivka turned around to see the two teenagers with their bags still on their backs. 

“Hello. Ziva, the rest of your boxes have arrived. They are in your room.” Ziva smiled and nodded. She turned to look at Tony.

“Would you like to help me?” Tony smirked. 

“Of course.” They smiled at each other and made their way up the stairs. Ziva opened her bedroom door and was met with the sight of 6 or so boxes. Tony looked around the room that was nicely decorated. It just seemed to fit her personality. Ziva moved over to one of the boxes that was labeled “Pictures”. She opened the top of it and smiled at the sight that greeted her. It was a picture of her mother, herself, and Tali. Tali around the age of 2, and herself around the age of 4. Tony looked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. He noticed Ziva immediately in the photo. She was as beautiful then as she was now. He looked over at the person that was on the right. The toddler looked just like Rivka and just like Ziva. She was just as beautiful. Ziva saw where his eyes were looking. 

“That is Tali. My little sister.” Tony looked at Ziva from over her shoulder.

“She’s beautiful. Maybe I can meet her one day.” A tear ran down Ziva’s cheek as she listened to his words. Realizing that he would never meet her. Never get to see the wonderful young woman she was. Tony noticed the tear and used his thumb to wipe it away.

“Did I say something wrong?” Ziva shook her head. 

“No. You did not say anything wrong.” Tony had confusion written all over his face, his features. 

“What’s wrong, Ziva?” Another tear rolled down Ziva’s cheek. 

“The reason we moved here was because...two weeks before, Tali was killed in a suicide bombing at a cafe after school.” Tony’s breath was slow as that was a lot of information to take in. 

“Ziva. I’m so sorry.” Ziva looked up into his eyes and couldn’t find the courage to break the pull that was one her. She leaned up and placed her lips over his. He was surprised at first but then began to move his lips with hers. This feeling was indescribable. He couldn’t believe he waited this long to kiss her. When she pulled back, both of their eyes were still closed. 

“Wow.” Tony finally gulped out. Ziva finally opened her eyes.

“Yeah. Wow.” Ziva’s eyes went wide as she realized what she had done. Tony saw her panic.

“I am sorry, Tony. I did not mean to do..” Tony’s lips were on hers again and all she could do was sigh. He was a really good kisser. He pulled back this time. 

“Never be sorry for doing that.” He let out a small laugh. She followed. 

“We really need to talk about this, Ziva. I know you didn’t this morning, but I need to know.” Ziva looked up at him and smiled. Tony hesitated again. 

“I mean if you want to unpack everything first, I’m okay with that too.” Ziva laughed again. 

“Tony. I am okay to talk.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay. Well...I don’t know how to start this.” Ziva chuckled. 

“I do not know either.” 

“All I know is that you have this...spell over me or something.” Ziva smiled.

“I know that feeling.” Tony hesitated.

“I want to be with you, Ziva.” Ziva’s smile became larger as he spoke.

“I want to be with you too, Tony.” They stared into each other’s eyes and both leaned in for the kiss that would cement their relationship. When they pulled back, their smiles could bring light to the entire world. 

“We better start unpacking these boxes before your mom throws a fit.” They laughed and moved to the boxes strewed around the room. 

It took longer than they thought to unpack all the boxes. After around two hours, they were finishing the last box and Tony would steal a kiss from Ziva every now and then. Ziva pulled out the last item of the box, which looked to be a small pink blanket. It looked to be made out of wool and knitting together. Ziva looked over at him and smiled.

“This was my sister’s. My mother made it for her before she was born. She would always sleep with it when she was younger.” She smiled at the blanket, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Tony moved behind her and put his hand on her waist while resting his head on her shoulder. 

“Where do you want to put it?” Ziva shrugged her shoulders. Tony reached around and ran his fingers over the fabric.

“What if we hung it? That way it wouldn’t be in a draw or a closet. It would be displayed and it could be a way you could remember her.” A tear ran down Ziva’s cheek as she nodded. She looked around her room to see where she could put it. The perfect area was right above her desk. She sat at her desk a lot, whether it was to read or to do homework. Tony followed her eyesight and smiled.

“I think that would be the perfect place.” He took the blanket from her hands and took it to the wall. He made sure that it was level and took four thumbtacks to keep it into place. When he was done, he turned to see Ziva crying. He moved over to her and wrapped her into a hug. She snuggled into his neck and Tony swayed them back and forth. After a while, Ziva pulled back.

“We need to get to your house.” Tony’s face was written with confusion. Ziva smiled.

“The Barbeque.” Tony’s mouth made an “O” shape.

“Oh yeah. Might need to help with that. Are you okay to go?” 

“I am fine.” He could tell that she was lying.

“Ziva. If you don’t want to go, then you don’t have to. In fact, we can just stay here and watch a movie or something.” Ziva let out a laugh. 

“No. No, I am fine to go as long as you keep holding me.” Tony chuckled. 

“I could hold you forever and never get tired of it.” His honesty surprised her. She looked up and gave him a light peck. 

“Thank you.” 

“For what?” Ziva smiled.

“For being you.” Tony took a hold of her hand and they made their way out of her bedroom door. They made their way downstairs to see Rivka sitting in the living room on the couch. She turned to see their hands intertwined and she smiled. They moved over to her and smiled at the expression on her face. 

“I have to get back home. We’re having a cook out tonight and I was hoping it was okay if Ziva could come.” Rivka smiled.

“Of course. Just make sure she is safe.” Tony looked into Ziva’s eyes.

“I promise I will.” They made their way to the door and Tony looked over his shoulder at Rivka who was still sitting on the couch.

“You’re invited too, you know. I think it would be fun. You could meet my parents, and my brother.” Rivka smiled. 

“If you do not mind me tagging along.” Tony smiled.

“Not at all.” Rivka followed them to Tony’s car where she voluntarily climbed into the back seat. Tony reached over the center console and grabbed Ziva’s hand. She smiled back at him and squeezed his hand tighter. 

This was going to take some getting used to.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Tony pulled into his driveway and turned off the ignition to his car. He looked over at Ziva and saw her looking around the yard. You could see the lights from the backyard from the street, something his mother always loved to hang up when things like this went down at their house. Tony reluctantly let go of Ziva’s hand and got out of the car. He made her smile when he opened the door for Rivka. Her mother got out of the car and planted a kiss to Tony’s forehead, to which Tony smiled. From what she had heard from others, Tony was a total player. But from what she has seen since she’s met him, he’s been nothing but a gentleman. Something that made her melt inside, though she would never tell anybody. 

Ziva got out of the car and collided with Tony’s chest. She looked up into his eyes. Gosh, those beautiful green eyes made her flutter. 

“I am sorry. I did not mean to run into you.” Tony smiled.  
“You can run into me anytime, Sweetcheeks.” Ziva blushed and looked at her shoes as she noticed that her mother was watching them intently. He noticed her shyness with her mother there and grabbed her hand.

“Come on. The barbeque awaits.” Rivka and Ziva smiled as they followed him through the gate to his backyard. Their yard was beautiful. It was decorated with lights around the porch and the flowers that were placed around the yard made it look even more exquisite. Ziva saw Jenny and Gibbs on the porch next to the grill speaking with an older looking man. Tony brought them over to where they stood. Jenny and Gibbs looked over at them and smiled. Both of them noticed that they were holding hands and their eyes twinkled a bit at the sight. Jenny moved over to Ziva and wrapped her arms around her, something Ziva wasn’t entirely used to. Something about the hug just felt warm and motherly and she very much appreciated the effort to make her feel welcome. Jenny pulled back from their embrace and smiled at the look that was in Ziva’s eyes. Something she once saw in her own, something that she still sees. 

“Hello, Ziva. Welcome to our home.” Ziva smiled at the brightness Jenny brought to the picnic. No that’s not right. Table, that’s it!

“Thank you, Jenny. I would like to introduce you all to my mother, Rivka.” Rivka was sort of standing in the back on her own as she felt misplaced from the scene. Jenny and Gibbs along with the older man looked and smiled at her. Gibbs was the one that walked over to her first. He held out his hand for her, a formal approach. Gibbs surprised everyone by speaking in perfect Hebrew. 

“(Welcome, Rivka. It’s good to finally meet you. You have a wonderful daughter.)” Rivka smiled at his comment and that he spoke in her mother tongue. Ziva’s face became a tad bit more red and she laughed at Tony’s confused face along with everyone else listening in.

Rivka accepted the handshake and cupped his hand into both of hers. 

“(I could say the same for your son.)” Gibbs let out a chuckle. Ziva broke into the conversation.

“(That he is Agent Gibbs.)” She looked up to meet Tony’s eyes as he had been looking at her the moment she opened her mouth. The look in her eyes shut him up, at least for now. Jenny made her way over to Rivka next to introduce herself and it was like they had known each other for years. The language had been switched back to English so now everyone could understand. Jenny and Rivka talked about themselves and their families for a couple of minutes before Jenny looked around at the others and brought Rivka over to the older looking fellow. He was wearing a wonderful blue bow tie and his rimmed glasses fit him well.

“Rivka, Ziva, this is a close friend of ours, Donald Mallard. We normally just call him Ducky.” Ducky reached out his hand to greet them both.

“It is very nice to meet both of you.” His accent was strong and luring. Ziva smiled. Tony had told her some about Ducky. How he was more of an Uncle or grandfather than a family friend. Ducky turned to look at her next.

“My dear, I have heard much about you. It’s nice to finally put a name to a face.” Ziva smiled.

“Likewise, Dr. Mallard.” 

“Oh please, call me Ducky. Everyone does.” Ziva nodded.

“Okay...Ducky.” Ducky smiled at her and looked at Tony and her and smiled then walked back to Gibbs. 

Tony felt a pat on his shoulder and looked behind him to see Jimmy standing with Tim and Abby behind him. There was tape of either side of his glasses and bruises on his face and arms. Tony looked at him and sighed. This shouldn’t have happened to him. He was a good kid, he was a bit weird and he was a genius, but still a good kid. 

“Hey, Jimbo. How’s it going?” Jimmy smiled even though his body just looked painful. 

“Better now. Tim told me what you three did. I wanted to come over and say thanks. As well as introduce myself.” He turned to Ziva.

“I’m Jimmy. Jimmy Palmer.” He lent out his hand just like Ducky had done and Ziva took it softly.

“Ziva David.” 

“I’ve heard a lot about you from these guys.” He looked around at Tony, Tim, and Abby. She looked around at them as well.

“Good things I hope.” She winked at Tony. He grinned. Jimmy noticed the look and smiled at McGee and Abby. They were right there was definitely something between Tony and Ziva. 

“All good. I also wanted to say thank you for what you did for me. It means a lot. Not many people would do that for the school screech.” He laughed and Ziva didn’t know if she should or not. Tony sensed her hesitation. 

“Oh yeah, dude she knocked him off his feet. It was awesome.” The group laughed. From behind, Jenny and Gibbs were looking at the group of teenagers. They were laughing and joking around, something that they loved to hear in their home. Gibbs moved back over to the grill and opened the lid. The chicken was done and so were the burgers. 

“Tony, Tim, come help me with this.” Tony and Tim ran over and took the food over to the outdoor table. Ziva moved to help but Abby grabbed her arm and pulled her over to sit around the firepit. The flame was beautiful in the night sky.

“I have never seen a flame look so beautiful.” Abby looked at her with confusion in her eyes. Ziva noticed it and decided that she could trust Abby.

“Many that I cared about died a fiery death.” Abby’s eyes became sad. Tears started welling up in her eyes and she launched herself at Ziva. She wrapped her arms around her.

“I am so sorry, Ziva. That’s awful. I couldn’t imagine having anything like that happen in my life.” Ziva shrugged.

“It does not matter now. I am in America now with you, Tim, Jimmy, Tony. This is the life that I have always wanted. I am away from the death, the sorrow. It is time for me to live.” Abby nodded.

“I’m glad you moved here Ziva. I think that this is going to be the best year of your life.” 

Oh, how she would find that out.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Gibbs called that dinner was ready and everybody made their way over to the large picnic table that was on the patio. Tony walked over and pulled Ziva’s chair out for her. She smiled up at him and sat down. He moved beside her and sat down in his chair as well. Everybody was seated when Ducky stood up from his seat with a glass in his hand. He looked around and raised it. Everyone followed the action.

“I spoke to Jethro and I asked if I could make a toast with you all. We would like to welcome our new friends to the party.” He looked over at Ziva and Rivka. 

“Good friends can go a long way. I have known Jethro and Jenny for more than 20 years now and they still are the best of friends that I could ever ask for. They welcomed Jimmy with open arms when I took him in a few years ago. I have no doubt they will welcome you, my dear.” He was looking Ziva straight in the eye. She smiled and nodded. 

Ducky kept talking until Gibbs put a hand on his shoulder, a signal for him to wrap things up. Ducky nodded at him. 

“To Family.” He ended. Everyone around repeated after him and clinked their glasses together. The adults were either drinking beer or wine while the teens were drinking whatever soda was in the cooler. Everyone passed around the food and added whatever they wanted to their plates and passed it on. Everybody was just eating and enjoying each other’s company. Everybody asked Ziva and Rivka questions and everyone got to know each other a little better. Tony had been looking at her throughout the entirety of the dinner. She would catch his eye and he would just smile at her. She would return it and go back to her meal. 

After everyone was finished, Gibbs, Ducky, Tony, Tim, and Jimmy packed all the food and took it inside. Ziva stood up to go help but Abby lightly grabbed her arm again and pulled her down to her chair. 

“It’s a tradition that when the women cook, the men clean the dishes.” Ziva’s eyebrows raised. 

Wow, this was different. 

“Gibbs made food tonight though.” Abby nodded.

“Yeah. He cooked last night too and Jenny cleaned up so he’s doing it tonight.” Ziva’s mouth formed an “O” shape and she nodded. Abby stood up and motioned for Ziva to follow her. She led her back over to the firepit as she had done earlier. They saw down in the lawn chairs just as Tony came back out of the house. Abby caught his eye and told him to give them a minute. He pouted but complied.

Abby turned to look at her. 

“So. Tell me.” Ziva looked at her weirdly. 

“Tell you what?” Abby smiled.

“About you and Tony.” Ziva looked at the fire in the pit and smiled at the memory of their first kiss. 

“There is nothing to tell, Abby.” Abby gave a “yeah right” look. 

“You two have been inseparable since you met. I know there’s something going on between the two of you and I will figure it out. I may not be a forensic scientist yet, but I will one day.” Ziva smiled at her enthusiasm. 

“We kissed.” Abby let out a squeal. Most of the people outside turned to look their way. Ziva put her hands on Abby’s shoulders. 

“Shh, Abby. I do not want the entire neighborhood to know.” Abby nodded and calmed down. 

“You don’t want anyone to know?” Ziva shook her head.

“Not yet. It is still so fresh. I just want to stop and smell the lilies.” Abby let out a snort.

“I think you mean stop and smell the roses, but I get it what you meant.” Ziva nodded and cataloged the phrase in the back of her mind for later. Tony would have corrected her too. She smiled at the thought. Abby noticed it and lowered her voice.

“What’s that smile for?” Ziva tried to hide it but was failing miserably. Abby pushed further.

“It’s Tony. Isn’t it?” Ziva nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. She decided she might be a little cheeky. 

“Maybe.” Her face was dead serious and Abby couldn’t tell what her emotions were. Around this time, Tony came up to them and sat down beside Ziva in a chair. Abby decided that was enough of interrogation for now. 

“Hey, Tony!” Abby yelled. Ziva was starting to think that was her only mode of communication. 

“Hey, Abbs. Would you mind giving us a minute?” 

“Sure.” She looked into the fire. Tony stared at her with confusion all over his face. It suddenly dawned on him that he needed to be more specific. 

“Abbs.” She looked at him.

“Yeah?” 

“Alone.” 

“Right.” She stood up and made her way over to Tim who was talking with Jimmy about some new computer component that was coming out. Tony looked at Ziva. She looked beautiful in the night light. Especially with the mix of the fire. It made her beautiful brown locks look like gold and her face was glowing. He smiled as she looked at peace. He moved a little closer to her and touched her hand with his. She looked at him and then looked at their hands and smiled. She liked this. He looked nervous as he spoke.

“Can I show you something?” He spoke quietly. She nodded. He stood up and pulled her along with him. Gibbs and Jenny saw where they were headed too, then turned back to talking with Ducky and Rivka. 

They made their way through the woods that were behind his house. When he stopped, she bumped into his back as she wasn’t prepared for him to halt. Not that she minded. She liked being this close to him. He turned around and she could just see his smile. He moved behind her and she saw what he was trying to show her.

In front of her, was a glistening lake. The stars gleaming off the water. This place looked like something from a movie. It was amazing, exquisite even. Tony saw the amazed look on her face and smiled. The view was beautiful, but not as much as her. He looked over to his right at the tree and noticed the boards were surprisingly still stapled into the bark. He took a hold of her hand and pulled her to the side a bit.

“Come on.” She followed and they climbed up the tree into the old wood box that resided in it. On the side of the box, there was an opening that represented a window. It looked right over the lake. This was an extraordinary spot. Ziva smiled at the view. 

“Me and my dad built this a few years ago. The first project we ever did together. Haven’t been out here since I was like 12.” Ziva nodded.

“It is nice that you and your father are so close.” Tony nodded.

“Yeah. He’ll headslap me like there’s no tomorrow but I know he loves me.” Ziva chuckled. 

“I wish my father was like that.” Tony lowered his head sadly.

“I didn’t mean..”

“I know. You and your father have a special bond that it only represented in father and son. From what I have seen too, he treats Abby like a daughter.” Tony nodded his head. 

“This is where I would go when I needed to think.” He chuckled.

“I used to come here a lot.” Ziva smiled at the cute look on his face. She looked back at the beautiful lake that surrounded them. 

“It is beautiful.” 

“Yeah, it is.” She looked at him and saw him staring right at her. He wasn’t talking about the lake, he was talking about her. She blushed and smiled at him. He leaned over and looked her eye, he was making sure that it was okay. She gave a slight nod. He leaned in the remaining distance and planted his lips onto hers. She sighed into the kiss and there were so many emotions going on inside of her. Kisses with him felt like coming home. They felt like this is what life was all about. He pulled away first and smiled and the look on her face. Something he was sure was the same on his own. Her eyes were still closed as she smiled. Tony put his hand on her cheek and swiped his thumb softly over her skin. She leaned into his touch, something Tony smiled at. She opened her eyes and looked into his practically glowing green orbs. 

A realization hit her that they had only known each other a week. Was that long enough to start a relationship? Surely not. Something about him was different, she couldn’t quite place her finger on it but she could feel it in her bones. Tony saw that she was lost in thought.

“What’s running through that beautiful head of yours?” He whispered softly. 

“I was just thinking about how long we have known each other.” Tony’s smile became larger. 

“Best week of my life.” Ziva smiled at that. 

“Do you think that we are moving too fast?” Tony’s smile lowered a tad at the question.

“Do you think we are?” Ziva shrugged her shoulders.

“That is the thing. I do not know.” Tony’s eyebrows scrunched with confusion.

“What do you mean?” 

“I want to be with you, but I also feel that it may be too early to be in this kind of relationship. You are different, Tony. Different in the way that I feel about you. I just feel like we need to get to know each other just a little more before we call whatever this is an official relationship.” Tony nodded and smiled.

“I understand.” Ziva looked down at the wood flooring of the treehouse. He placed his hand on her chin and softly turned her head to look at him. 

“Ziva. Really I understand. We did kinda rush into this. Or at least I did.” Ziva shook her head. 

“No, Tony. We both did. This was not just you. I just think there is so much that we need to learn about one another before we take that step forward.” Tony nodded.

“I completely get that. Let’s just take things slow, so when we hopefully eventually take that step forward, we’ll know a lot about each other.” Ziva nodded.

“Thank you for understanding, Tony. I do want to be with you, I need you to know that.” Tony smiled and nodded.

“I understand, Ziva. Thank you for...being honest with me. Not many girls will do that.” Ziva smiled. A buzz rang from inside her pocket. Her phone. She completely forgot about the party! Her mother! Her eyes went wide as she pulled out her phone. Something that Tony noticed. He would have to ask her about that later. It looked like there was fear in her eyes. She sighed with relief when she saw that it was a text from Abby.

Abby: Hey, where are you guys? People are headed home and we are going to have a movie night. 

Ziva: Sorry. We are by the lake. 

Before she could hit send, Tony grabbed the phone from her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes.

“Give me that.” She went to grab it back, but he held it away from her. 

“What are you doing, Tony?” 

“They don’t know about this place. I’d like to keep it that way.” He smiled.

“Please.” Ziva narrowed her eyes.

“That is not always going to work but because this is a special place I will oblige.” Tony handed her phone back to her and she backspaced the message. 

Ziva: We will be there in a moment. Went on a walk.

Abby: Okay. Just meet us back here when you two lovebirds are done ;)

Ziva rolled her eyes. Tony was reading over her shoulder and laughed as he read the message. 

“If only.” He whispered. Just enough so she could hear. She smiled and shivered at the closeness of their bodies. 

“We should head back, Tony.” He nodded and went to the treehouse “door” in the middle of the room. He opened it and held out his hand. She grabbed ahold of it and followed him down the ladder. 

They made their way back to the house to see just Tony’s family, Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby still there. They walked over and Abby yelled that they got popcorn. 

Tony noticed the setup. They brought the projector outside and positioned it on the exterior wall. The title “Skyfall” was on the screen.

“A James Bond movie! Yes!” Ziva laughed at his enthusiasm. They looked around and saw the lawn chairs that were around the firepit, where now in a “U” shape so they could see the screen. They brought the cooler over so everyone could get drinks as well as snacks if anyone was still hungry. Tony and Ziva made their way over to the only bean bags that were on the lawn and sat down. Tony reached over and held Ziva’s hand.   
Even though they established that they weren’t dating, at least not yet, they could still do these things as there was this pull on them that neither wanted to ignore. 

It would take some time, but she had no doubt they would get there eventually.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is short and ya'll have been waiting for an update. Life has been pretty hectic lately as school has started. I will try to get updates out as quickly as I can. Until the next one I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The weeks had gone by quickly. Ziva and her mother had now been in America for a month and a half. Needless to say, they were still getting used to how things were. 

Ziva was just leaving the bathroom when her mother called her from downstairs. In the past weeks, everything had been unpacked and put in their respective places. The house was starting to look and feel like home. She grabbed her bag from her desk chair and made her way down the stairs. Her mother was standing in the kitchen at the counter, drinking what Ziva assumed was tea. 

“Good morning, Ima.” Rivka turned to look at her and smiled.

“Good morning, Zivaleh.” She set a bowl of cereal on the counter in front of her and Ziva gladly accepted it. She ate up her cereal and checked her phone. Something that became a constant these past few weeks as Tony was always texting her. Something she secretly loved. As she was thinking a ding rippled through her pocket. It was a text. 

Tony: Hey Sweetcheeks.

She smiled at the name he had given her. She liked the way it sounded coming from his lips and even more, the butterflies that flew all around her body. 

Ziva: Hello Tony. How has your morning been?

The reply was almost instant. Something he was good for. 

Tony: Amazing now that I’ve talked to you. :) How about you?

Ziva smiled at the sweet text. She couldn’t believe how good he made her feel. 

Ziva: A whole lot better now. 

She wasn’t used to talking like this but for some reason when it came to him, it was like the words involuntarily came out of her mouth. For some reason though, she didn’t mind. She felt like she could trust him with anything, something that still terrified her to her core. 

Tony: I’m on my way to yours to pick you up. I got a little bit of a surprise for you.

Ziva: You know I do not like surprises. 

Tony: I know, but you’ll like this one. I promise.

So far his promises have been true and not at all what she was used too. He would promise to take her to school every morning and drive her home after practice every afternoon, would promise to walk her to every class even if his was on the other side of campus. It was the little things that she loved so much. She smiled at the text and looked to see her mother smiling at her.

“I have never seen you so happy, Zivaleh.” She finally spoke. Ziva’s smile became wider.

“I have never been this happy, Ima. Not in a very long time anyway.” Rivka looked at the ground sadly.

“We have been through so much. You deserve to be happy.” Ziva stood from her stool and made her way over to her mother. 

“So do you, Ima. You have been through just as much as I.” Ziva wrapped her arms around her mother and squeezed lightly. She felt her mother’s arms wrap around her and her head begin to rest on her shoulder. Rivka was the one to pull back from the hug. She placed both her hands on either side of Ziva’s face. 

“I love you, my beautiful daughter.” She had tears beginning in her eyes. Ziva smiled as a tear rolled down Rivka’s cheek.

“I love you too, Ima.” Rivka wiped the tears off her cheek.

“This is not how I wanted to start this beautiful morning. Is Tony coming to pick you up?” She asked even though she knew the answer. Ziva smiled at the mention of Tony. 

“Yes, he is on his way now. He said that he has a surprise for me. I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.” Rivka laughed.

“Knowing Tony, everything will be fine.” Ziva nodded, she was probably right. She normally was. Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing through the house. She smiled and made her way to the door. She opened it to see Tony’s smile. She looked him up and down and smiled at the outfit he was wearing. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. It seemed to fit him in all the right places. He smiled at her. She was practically wearing the same thing but instead of a white shirt, it was black. 

“Are you ready to go?” The look he was giving her sent shivers down her spine. 

“Yes. I just need to get my things.” He nodded and waved towards Rivka and stayed outside as he didn’t want to go into their home with an invite. Ziva grabbed her backpack from the stool and pulled the jacket from the back of the couch. As she got closer, Tony noticed that it was his letterman jacket. He watched as Ziva pulled the jacket over her shoulder and put her arms through the slots. It was big on her, but he didn’t think anything had ever looked so sexy. His jaw dropped at the sight and Ziva laughed as she used her pointer finger to bring it back up. 

“Let’s go.” Tony nodded and took the bag from her. Another thing Ziva had gotten used to in the last few weeks. He was always the gentleman. They both made their way out the door with a wave back at Rivka and got into Tony’s car. As Tony cranked up the car, his right hand moved over to her left and lightly grabbed her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. Ziva looked over at him and smiled, he smiled back with his million-dollar smile. Ziva’s eyes narrowed as she looked away from him and looked around the car. 

“What is this surprise?” Tony chuckled. He knew that one was coming. He reached into his driver’s side door and when he pulled his hand back up, there was a blue-purple drink in his hand.

“A berry mango-madness for you.” Ziva smiled and excitedly took the drink and took a big sip from her favorite drink. A couple of weeks ago, Tony had taken her to a smoothie shop in downtown D.C. She ordered this drink and ever since she was obsessed with it. Tony always loved the childish look she got whenever she had one. She wasn’t as crazy with them as Abby was with Caf-Pow! But she did love them. 

Tony put the car into drive and pulled out of her driveway. The drive was filled with the sound of Tony’s music, something that Ziva really enjoyed. She loved listening to American music, but sometimes she would still listen to her own music, or more accurately Tali’s music. Tali had dreams about being on stage and no matter what mode she was in, music was always her go-to. Something Ziva adapted to in their home. 

They pulled into the school parking lot and hopped out of the car. Tony got both of their bags and they made their way into the building. Ziva was getting many more looks today than she got every other day. Probably because she was wearing Tony’s letterman jacket. She didn’t care what others thought. All she cared about was the man beside her.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Ziva and Tony met up with Abby and McGee inside the halls of their school. 

“Hey, Guys!” Abby yelled, launching herself towards both of them and wrapping her arms around them. Tony and Ziva looked at each other and smiled. When Abby finally let go, she turned to face all of them.

“Did you guys hear about the summer dance next week? I heard it’s going to be beach themed.” Tony looked at Ziva and noticed she was smiling. He didn’t know whether it was for the dance or because of Abby’s energy. Probably both.

“I did not. I have never been to a dance, Abby. This will be fun.” Abby’s jaw opened slightly and Ziva could literally see her screaming on the inside. 

“You’ve never been to a dance before? How is that even possible?” Ziva smiled at her shocked expression. 

“My father would not let me do anything of that sort. It was always studying new languages or whatever form of martial arts I was learning that week. He would always say that things like this were a waste of time.” The three of them looked at her sadly. Sad that their friend couldn’t live the life that was her own. Ziva saw this and tried to redirect the conversation.

“It is okay. I am here with all of you and for the first time in my life, I am happy.” She looked at Tony as she spoke the last few words. He smiled back at her and grabbed her hand with his and squeezed it gently. Tim looked at his watch and noticed they had three minutes to get to class. Tim and Abby headed in the opposite direction from them so they could go to Physics. Tony, still holding Ziva’s hand, walked with Ziva to math. They walked in together laughing at some weird joke Tony just made. They sat down next to each other and pulled out their textbooks along with their calculators. 

Jeanne had seen them walk in. Seen the way they smiled and laughed with each other. The way Tony’s held her hand in his. She used to be that girl. Used to be all his attention desired. Now, this Israeli terrorist had come in and stolen her man. Tony was hers and she would get him back. 

Mr. Barnes turned on the projector so everyone could see his screen. Today they were doing Inverse Functions and Reflections. Something Tony was not at all good at. He gave them all a page number in their textbook and told them to follow along. After a few problems, Tony was still struggling. Barnes told them to use the rest of class to work on the remaining problems and if they didn’t finish, then it would be homework. He also said they could pair up and work in partners. Tony looked over at Ziva and she smiled. They had always been partners.

Tony felt something tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Jeanne standing there, smiling. She had her things in her hand.

“Hey, Tony. Wanna be my partner?” Tony wanted to roll his eyes so bad. What couldn’t she get about leaving him the hell alone?

“I already have a partner. Sorry.” With that, he turned back around to look at Ziva. Jeanne didn’t like being rejected...or ignored. She had always been handed things from everyone. Well, he knew one thing for sure. That wasn’t him anymore. She stomped back to her desk and plopped her things down on it. She pulled out her phone and tapped Tony’s name. She would try another way.

Ziva, let go of a very quiet snicker as Tony completely ignored Jeanne. It made her feel good that he chose her over that snitch. Or was it bitch? Same thing. She heard a ding come from Tony’s side. She watched as he pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. He huffed. Of course, she would try other methods. Ziva could see something was wrong with him. The anger in his eyes was prevalent. 

“What is wrong, Tony?” He looked up at her and showed her his phone. It was a message from Jeanne. 

Jeanne Benoit: So the dance is next week and I wanted to ask you if you’ll go with me. We could rule this school. I’m sure the terrorist could go and blow something up while we have some fun ;)

Ziva looked back at Tony. His jaw and hands were clenched with anger. 

“Tony.” 

“No. She doesn’t get to do that.” Ziva put her hand over his and looked into his eyes.

“If you show her that this affects you, then she wins. And I know that you do not want her to win.” Tony closed his eyes. Trying to calm down. How was this already happening? It was only first period. He looked back at his phone.

“Should I just ignore it? Or should I respond?” 

“You said she hates to be ignored, yes?” Tony smiled and nodded at her.

“Then just ignore it and pretend that it never entered your inbox.” Tony smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Thank you.” 

“Anytime.” 

They resumed their math work and completed the page, which also meant that they didn’t have homework for this subject tonight. They both got out their phones and went in the group message with Abby and Tim. Ziva smiled at the messages they had all exchanged in the past month. They had all become really close. Especially her and Abby, not to mention her real connection to Tony. Tim was a very close second to Abby. They always hung out together when they could at school and after school, they would do homework together, eat together, even play Tim’s geeky video games together. Something Tim never let Tony live down once he tried it and actually liked it. 

Ziva, Jenny, and Gibbs had gotten close also. With how much Ziva had been over to their house, they seemed like second parents to her. Gibbs was like the father figure she never had. They both treated her like their own daughter, which was something she loved and wouldn’t take for granted. Her mother had also gotten close to Tony’s parents as they all got along very well. 

Tony: Are you guys going to the dance?

Abby: I want to go but I don’t want to go alone.

Tony: I’m sure Timmy will take you. Isn’t that right Probie?

Tony looked up at her as she laughed. Even though they loved each other they always made sure to make fun of one another for anything and everything. And Tony couldn’t go a day without calling Tim a nickname. 

Tim: Then why don’t you go ahead and ask Ziva? 

Tony’s face went red. Something Ziva saw and laughed.

Tony: Shut up TF!

Ziva: I have heard many names in my time with you guys, but TF is not one of them. That is a new one, yes?

Abby: It’s one he uses on rare occasions. That’s the one he uses when he’s embarrassed or when he’s called out. Or in some cases both. 

Ziva laughed again at Tony’s expression. 

Ziva: I can tell with the red color of his cheeks. :)

Tim: Get Rekt!

Abby: Haha! :))))

The bell rang as it was time for their next class. Tony to auto-mechanics while Ziva went to Chemistry. They walked together in the hallway with their hands clasped together. People were giving them looks as they walked. They didn’t care. Tony dropped her off and let go of her hand and promised to see her after class. With that, he walked to his class and she walked to her desk. 

Ziva sat down and listened intently to Mrs. Williams’ lesson. She was given a packet that was due in two days. A project of sorts. Williams gave them the rest of the period to work on their packet and did what looked to be grading at her desk. Ziva looked down at her packet and sighed. This is not what she wanted to be doing right now. She looked around and noticed that others were listening to their music. She leaned down to her backpack and took out her headphones. She plugged them into her phone and turned on the music Tony had recommended for her. It was a mixture of rock and pop. She liked his taste. In many things. ;) (Sorry I had too). 

She finished 6 of the 9 pages in the packet when the bell rang again. She packed up her things and moved to the door. Students already flooded the hallways making their way to the cafeteria. 

She saw Tony making his way to her when a fist came through the year and connected with Tony’s face. She gasped as she saw Tony fall. She ran over to him to see Sacks and Langer standing above him. She saw Tony stand up and throw a right and then a left hook at Sacks, making him fall to the ground. He was out cold. Tony brought his hand to his face and pulled it back to see blood on his hand. His lip had been cut as well as his eyebrow. 

Ziva ran over to him and glared at Langer, for which he ducked as he didn’t want the same treatment as last time. Teachers were now coming out of the classrooms to see what the chaos was and saw Sacks on the ground and Tony against the bleachers. They also saw Ziva trying to help Tony. They called the school nurse over to the unconscious body of Sacks and took him to the nurse’s office. Tony and Ziva were asked what had happened and they told them the truth. 

Tony was told to be expecting a call from Principal Vance in the coming hour. Tony nodded, knowing since he retaliated he would be punished too. 

Tony and Ziva walked to the cafeteria for the remaining time of lunch which was only about 15 minutes. They opened the door and many people looked over at them, especially Tony. They started whispering to one another and watched as they sat down at the table with Tim and Abby. Abby gasped as she saw Tony’s face. Tim walked over to the cafeteria line and asked the lunch ladies for a bag of ice. When they gave it to him, he walked back over and handed it to Tony. 

“Thanks, Tim.” He placed it on his lip. He silently hissed in pain. Ziva heard him and placed her hand on his back. Tony looked over at her and tried to smile at her but only hurt himself more. Abby couldn’t take it anymore.

“What happened?!” Tony looked away from Ziva and over at her. 

“Slacks is what happened.” Ziva could see Tim’s jaw clench at the mention of Sacks. Tim caught Ziva’s eye and she nodded her head. He nodded back. Her silent ask if he was okay. 

“Why would he do something like this? There was no reason for it.” Tony chuckled.

“He’s an ass that’s why. How am I going to explain this to mom and dad? They probably already got a call from Vance. Ziva rubbed her hand back forth on his back in comfort. Something he very much appreciated as he helped soothe and calm him faster than it would normally take. He turned to look at her and noticed nothing was on the table in front of her.

“Ziva. You need to eat your lunch. Your mom made it, knowing that it’s got to be amazing.” Ziva smiled but shook her head.

“I am not hungry.” Tony took his hand in hers. He knew that was a lie.

“What if I split it with you?” She smiled and reached into her backpack to get the roast beef sandwich her mother had made her. She cut it in half and gave Tony one of the pieces. They stared into each other’s eyes as they ate. Abby and Tim smiled at the obvious attraction and desire they both had for one another. They finished the sandwich and threw their trash away. The bell rang signaling that lunch was over and it was time for their next class. The four of them stood up and headed out of the cafeteria. 

Tony was dreading the conversation with Vance, even more so with the conversation with his parents. He and Ziva parted ways at the locker rooms to get dressed. When he went in, everybody stared at him. Reminding him of a month ago when they found he didn’t care about being popular. He quickly changed and left the room before anything else happened. He saw Ziva stretching and went over to her. 

He really wanted to ask her to the dance. He didn’t want to be lame and just ask her, he wanted it to be special. Something they would always remember.

Coach Fornell came into the gym and announced that they were doing basketball again. Tony smiled as that meant he could spend all class with Ziva just like last time. When he went to get a ball, Fornell told him Vance wanted to see him in his office. Why now? He wanted to be with Ziva, not the toothpick-chewing hardass that would probably give him detention for defending himself. But to be fair, he did knock Slacks out cold. Maybe he hit him too hard. Or not hard enough. 

He looked at Ziva and saw her nodding that it was okay and to stay calm. He gave a small smirk and headed out the door. He walked the halls until he came to Vance’s office. He knocked and heard a faint ‘come on’ come from the inside of the room. He opened the door and saw him sitting on his throne, I mean chair. He looked up at him and gave him a hard look.

“Gibbs. Sit.” 

Tony moved over to the chair opposite of him. Vance put the papers he was holding down and gave Tony a disapproving look. 

“Your behavior today is unacceptable. Sacks has a concussion and can’t play in the next few games of the season. I want your side of the story as Sacks can’t tell us his right now.” Tony nodded. 

“I was walking down the hallway to get Ziva from her classroom. I always walk and pick her up from classes. Out of nowhere, Sacks comes up and punches me twice in the face.” 

“Then you hit him back?”

“Yeah. I did.” Vance sighed. 

“Sacks may have started it, but what you did was wrong too. I’m giving you a week's detention Mr. Fornell.” Tony nodded. That seemed fair. All of a sudden, there was another knock on the door.

“Come in.” He turned around to see Ziva come in the door.

“You called for me Principal Vance?” 

“I did Ms. David. Seems we have an incident.” Tony couldn’t believe this. He was going to bring Ziva into this when she didn’t even do anything.

“Ziva didn’t do anything. This was all me.” His voice had a definite snap in it. 

“You might want to fix your tone, Gibbs. I just wanted to see Ms. David’s story. I wanted to see if you were telling the truth.” He turned to look back at Ziva.

“Ms. David. Can you please tell me what happened earlier today?” 

“I am sure what Tony has told you was the truth.” Tony gave a small smile as he had never seen this side of her before. If he was being honest, it turned him on. 

“Ms. David, you just bought yourself 3 days detention. Both of you dismissed.” They stood up and made their way to the door.

“Oh and Gibbs. No participating in practice or the next 4 games.” Tony wanted to argue when Ziva put a hand on his arm and pulled him toward the door. Vance saw this and smirked. Maybe the rumors were true. DiNozzo may have changed. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw it. When they were in the hallway he turned to her. 

“He can’t do that to you. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Ziva shrugged her shoulders. 

“It is done, Tony.” Tony shook his head. 

“No, Ziva. This is my fault. I’m going back in there and talking to him.” He tried to make it towards the door but Ziva grabbed his arm again. 

“Tony. It is fine. I made the choice to talk back to him. I made it. Not you, not anyone. It is my fault I got detention, Tony.” Tony closed his eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Ziva.” 

“There is nothing to be sorry for, Tony.” She grabbed ahold of his hand and pulled him back towards the gym. 

God his parents were going to kill him.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Tony really hated some of the people in this school. He would be walking down the hallway and everybody would be staring at him. They would be talking about the fight between him and Sacks, how Tony deserved the punch that he received. But more importantly, they were talking about him and Ziva. They were criticizing her and making her look like the evil one in this whole situation. It was starting to really piss him off. 

Other than the many looks and laughs, the rest of the day had gone by somewhat smoothly. Movie Critique had been fun as they went over movies from the ’70s, which was one of Tony’s favorite time periods for film. Ziva seemed to enjoy the class, something Tony was ecstatic about. There was finally someone to share his love of movies with. Even if she was just learning, he loved watching her face as they went over different topics. 

Detention was something Tony always hated. Took time away from friends and basketball. But now, he didn’t mind too much. Ziva was going to be there, for bad reason, but she was still there. 

They walked from Movie Critique to Coach Fornell’s office. Tony knocked on the door and heard a “come in” on the other side. They opened the door to see him drawing in the basketball playbook. He gave Tony a hard stare.

“Vance told me you got detention for the next week.” Tony nodded.

“Yessir.” 

“And that you can’t play during that week.” Tony nodded again.

“Yessir.” Fornell sighed.

“You gotta stop this, Gibbs. I can’t have my star player getting detention and breaking the rules. That’s not gonna fly. I’m done, Gibbs. This happens again your off the team.” His words were hard and final. Tony sighed. That seemed fair. The star player couldn’t be doing these things. If it wasn't for Sacks socking him in the face he wouldn’t be here in the first place. 

“Do I make myself clear?” Tony looked up from the picture of the team on Fornell’s desk. 

“Yessir.” Fornell took this and looked back down at the playbook. 

“I got two players out. I don’t have time for this detention thing. Go clean the gym. Sweep the floor, look through and clean the bleachers, make sure equipment is in its spot then you can go home. Get out of my office.” They nodded and left the room. Tony turned to her. 

“I know this isn’t what you wanted to be doing today.” Ziva shrugged her shoulders.

“I do not mind.” Tony gave her a weird look. 

“What I mean is, I do not mind because I am with you.” Tony smiled and took her hand. They began the walk to the gym. 

When they entered, they went over to the supply closet on the left side to get the brooms. Ziva went over to the left side of the gym, while Tony went to the right. It would be easier to get things done if they were separated on opposite sides. 

Tony took to sweeping the floors first, while Ziva cleaned the bleachers. Leave it to them to get detention when Slacks and his stupid friends started it in the first place. 

After three hours of cleaning, they were finally finished. They turned out all the lights and walked hand and hand to Tony’s car. Tony opened the door and she climbed in. Tony went to his side of the car and hopped in. He started the car and started the drive to his house. He needed to speak to his parents.

They had talked during detention, that they would talk to them together. Maybe to help the situation. They pulled into the driveway and saw that the lights were on in the dining room. They got out of the car and made their way to the front door. Ziva gave his hand a squeeze and he opened the door. 

Jenny and Gibbs were sitting down at the table, looking like they were waiting for him. Tony was nervous. He didn’t like his parents being mad at him, or worse, disappointed. He couldn’t handle it. He looked up to his parents way too much to be like that. Jenny looked up and saw that Ziva was with him and motioned for them to sit down at the table. 

They walked over and sat down next to each other. Gibbs was sitting at the head of the table with Jenny on the left side of him. They moved over and sat on the right side. Ziva sitting next to him. She wrapped her hand around his to give him some comfort. Jenny looked at the pair and spoke.

“What happened today?” Her voice was soft, gentle even. Not what Tony was expecting. He looked up to meet their awaiting eyes. 

“Sacks. Sacks happened.” Gibbs spoke next.

“What did he do now?” Gibbs was tired of this idiot messing with his family. He knew what kids were like, he was in high school once too. But this idiot was messing with the wrong family. Jenny could see Gibbs becoming angry. She turned back to the two of them. 

“What did he do?” Tony sighed.

“I was just walking down the hallway when he came out of nowhere and punched me. I hit him back. Harder than I intended too. Let’s just say he didn’t see the nurse.” Gibbs let out a small smirk. 

“Dad. He’s been doing this for years now. Even tried to pull Ziva into it. I couldn’t let him do that. He’s beat Palmer to a pulp many times over the years. Even Tim has gotten beatings from him. It was built up anger and I couldn’t stop myself.” Ziva squeezed his hand. He told her about how close he was with his parents. How he hated to anger them. She had once felt the same way towards her own parents. Especially her father. She wanted to please him, for him to love her. Something he never did. Eventually, she had gotten tired of it and began to retaliate against him. 

She could hear Gibbs sigh from his end of the table. 

“What’s the consequences?” 

“Detention for a week. No basketball for that week. Can’t even go to practices.” Gibbs and Jenny sighed.

“But what sucks, even more, is that he gave Ziva detention too.” The two looked up at that. They looked over at her. 

“Apparently my tone was not appreciated.” She saw Gibbs give a small smirk, it was quickly hidden though as he didn’t want Jenny to see it. 

Jenny had her head in her hands. She had heard much about this Sacks boy. He was getting on her nerves. Especially if it caused trouble for her children. Tony was beginning to get worried about his mother’s silence. 

“Mom? I didn’t mean too. I’m sorry.” Jenny looked up at him. She shook her head.

“No. It is not your fault. What I don’t understand is how Ziva got brought into this.” The table looked at her. 

“I saw it happen. Tony drops me off and picks me up from class every day. I was asked into the office. Vance wanted me to tell him what happened because he was positive that Tony was lying. I told them what Tony said was true. That did not go over well with him.” 

“And she got 3 days detention for it. What kind of Principal does that? It’s ridiculous. Sacks caused all this and he doesn’t even get in an ounce of trouble just like always. But when I do something about it, I’m sentenced to detention and suspension from the team for a week. How is that right?” 

“I don’t know. From what I’ve gathered, he isn’t fit to be principal. Ducky has given many complaints about Sacks to him concerning Jimmy. He just ignores them. I don’t know what to do.” Jenny was firm as she spoke. Gibbs saw the internal battle going on inside his wife. She was getting into mama bear mode. Ziva had become like a daughter to them and now that she was brought into this, they were protective of her too. 

“I’ve stayed quiet. It’s time to take things into my own hands.” With that, Gibbs got up and started to make his way to the basement. He wanted to work on his boat and be able to think. 

Jenny saw the fearful look in Tony’s eyes. 

“Don’t worry about him, and don’t worry about this. It will be taken care of. Just promise me to never stoop to this guy's level.” 

“I promise.” Jenny nodded. She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed.

“It is getting late. Might want to get Ziva home before Rivka comes looking for her.” Ziva smirked as Tony nodded. They stood up from the table and headed towards the door. Ziva said goodbye to Jenny and wanted to say it to Gibbs but she figured he didn’t want to be bothered right now. 

She and Tony walked hand in hand to his car. They hopped in and set off to Ziva’s house. When Tony pulled into the driveway, Ziva opened her door and got out. Tony followed. They made their way to the door. 

“Goodnight, Ziva. I’m sorry about today. I promise it’ll get better.” Ziva smiled. She leaned into him and planted a soft kiss upon his lips. She pulled back seconds later to see a small smile on his face. Same as hers. 

“Goodnight, Tony.” With that, she walked inside her house and smiled as she shut the door. He stood there, his mind going over the kiss in his head over and over again. He smiled. Tomorrow he was going to ask her to the dance and he was going to make it magical.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Today was the day. Today was going to be a day that Tony would never forget. Today, he was going to ask Ziva to the dance. He had thought about it for the past couple of days and practically all of last night. He had it all planned out. He would ask her to come to his house after school (and after detention) and he would take her to someplace special. 

He looked over at the clock beside his bed and noticed that it was time to get up and get ready. He went through his normal routine of taking a shower, brushing his teeth, fixing his hair, and getting dressed. Today he was going to wear something that would hopefully catch Ziva’s eye. He went to his closet and selected a white button-up dress shirt and black pants. He still put on his tennis shoes just so he could be comfortable during the day. He never dressed like this unless it was a special occasion. Today was a special occasion. He put some gel into his hair and made it look nice. He grabbed his backpack from his desk and headed down the stairs. 

His parents had left earlier that morning as they had a big case that needed their attention. So it was just him and Tim this morning. He walked down to see Abby sitting next to Tim at the table. He wasn’t surprised that she was here, as she would always come during any day of the week really. 

She heard him coming and looked to see him at the bottom step. She gave him a smirk as she knew why he dressed and looked nice today. Tim, however, did not. So when he turned around, he gave Tony a look that said ‘what the hell are you doing?’. 

“Good morning.” 

“Morning, Tony. Did you hear that Sacks was suspended from school?” Tony whipped his head around to see if what she just said was the truth. Abby saw his look and smiled.

“Really?”

“Yep. Vance finally took in the complaints about him after somebody’s parents threatened to get the police involved.” Tony pulled a face.

“How would the cops get involved?” Abby shrugged. 

“No idea. But it worked.” Tony smiled and nodded his head. At least that jerk was gone for the time being. Maybe things would be nicer at school. He shook his head. That probably wouldn’t happen until Jeanne left him alone. Tony looked at his watch and took a deep breath. It was time to head to Ziva’s.

“I should get going. Ziva’s waiting.” Tim looked over at Abby and saw the smile that she was sporting. His mouth made an “O” shape as he realized why Tony had dressed so nicely. 

Tony grabbed his bag and keys and headed out the door. He has never been this nervous in his life. He climbed into his car and pulled out of his driveway. As he made his way down to Ziva’s house, he looked over at the park and noticed how beautiful it looked today. It had been rainy in D.C. as of late. Now it was sunny and bright. Something that resembled his mood for today. Along with the nerves. 

He pulled into Ziva’s driveway not too long after. He was just asking her to the dance, why was he so nervous? 

He climbed out of his car and made his way to her front door. He wiped his hands on his pants as he was sweating. He knocked on the door and smiled when he saw the doorknob turn. She stood there in the doorway and couldn’t help but flush a little when she looked him up and down. 

“Hey.” Was all he could get out as she looked even more beautiful today than she normally did. And that was saying something. She was wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans with a white top. The outfit seemed to hug all the right curves on her body and he couldn’t for the life of him look away. She saw this and turned around to go and get her bag. She swayed her hips a little bit more than she usually did to give him a show. 

When she returned, Tony had managed to gain somewhat control over himself and held out his hand for her. Something she gladly took. They said goodbye to her mother and made their way to his car. He opened the door for her and smiled as she got in. He went around and got in himself and reached behind his seat, pulling a beautiful batch of a dozen red roses and handed them to her. Ziva let out a small gasp as she saw what he was reaching for. What was with him today? Not that she minded. She likes this extra-gentlemanly side of him. She leaned down to smell them and sighed when the scent overcame her. 

“Thank you, Tony. These are beautiful.” She looked over to see him smiling at her. With a serious tone he replied:

“Not as beautiful to you.” He smiled as he saw the slight blush on her cheeks. He put the car in gear and they headed off to school.

Tony pulled into his parking spot and quickly went around the car to open the door for Ziva. He grabbed both of their bags and headed inside. He noticed the many looks he received his way, as well as the looks they bestowed on the pair of them. He didn’t appreciate the evil glares cast Ziva’s way. They walked through the doors to the school and made their way to their first class.

Ziva noticed all the looks, she just ignored them. Seeing Tony like this was different. She liked the way he was dressed. He looked even more handsome than he normally did, not that she didn’t appreciate seeing him in jeans and a sweatshirt. They sat in their normal seats, Tony pulling the chair out for her. She smiled at the sweet gestures that he was showing her. It made her wonder. What was he planning?

Classes went by quickly and before she knew it, school was over the week. Tony had been a complete gentleman all day and was excited about the weekend. 

They made their way to his car and he pulled out of his space. He thought back at the day. Many girls had come up to him, attempting to flirt with him, but he didn’t want their attention. He only wanted hers. Ziva. She had smiled so often today at the things he would do, the things he would say. It made him happy that she was happy. He pledged the night he admitted his feelings for her, that he would do everything in his power to keep her happy, keep her carefree, to keep her laughing. He loved her laugh. It was the sound that would get him out of his darkest times with just him hearing it. It was the sound that could make him smile even when he didn’t want to. 

The plan was for them to go back to his house so that they could study and do homework together. Something that did pretty much every night. Whether it was his house or hers. They both loved the time they got to spend with one another. It was like the right person had come into both of their lives but they had no idea how much the other person would affect them. 

What Ziva didn’t know was that he was going to take her to the treehouse to ask her to go to the dance with him. 

He pulled into his driveway, seeing none of his family's cars in the driveway, and put the car in park. They both got out and before they could take their normal route to the front door, Tony grabbed her hand and pulled her to the backyard gate. She smiled as she believed to be studying outside today. It was beautiful out here today. The sun was shining and it seemed like all the birds were chirping. It’s like they knew what Tony had planned and wanted to make it perfect. 

She furrowed her eyebrows when they went past the back deck and her face was written in confusion as to where he planned ongoing. She smiled when he pulled her into the woods. She knew where he was going now. She recognized the water as they passed it. They were going to the treehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait everybody. Things have been super hectic in my life recently. I'm hoping on getting things done faster and more efficiently. Thank you all for sticking by this story and leaving comments and kudos. It means so much me. Thank you.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

They made their way up the ladder and Ziva gasped. There were candles and flowers surrounding the frame of the treehouse. She looked back at Tony who was standing behind her and just saw him smiling at her. The way the candlelight illuminated his face made him look majestic. 

“What is all of this, Tony?” He moved to stand in front of her. 

“This is...a...well I don’t really know what it is.” Ziva chuckled. She could sense his nervousness all day. It was something that practically radiated off of him. It made her curious as to why he was acting so strangely. Was he okay? Was something wrong? Looking around the treehouse she hoped nothing would be wrong seeing as this was the most romantic thing she had ever seen. 

“So...uh...how has your day been today?” He asked. The stutter is his voice didn’t go unnoticed. Ziva’s eyebrows furrowed. What was going on? She moved closer to him, trying to get him to say what was on his mind.

“Tony. What is it?” He looked up at her abruptly. Damn Ninja skills. Well not really, he guessed that he had been acting weird all day, even without trying to. Tony took her hands in his and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.

“Ziva. I...I’m used to this kind of thing. Um… So I’m just going to come out and say it...or ask it.” He took a deep breath.

“Ziva. Will you go to the dance with me?” He had never really asked a girl out to a dance or to anything before. Girls had always just thrown themselves at him, he never had to try. But now, with Ziva, he felt like he had never felt before. She wasn’t just another notch on his bedpost, or someone he didn’t care about. She was different, in a very good way. He was falling in love with her. 

Ziva was stunned. The dance? The one at their school? The one that everyone wouldn’t shut up about in any of her classes? This was not what she was expecting, but she could honestly say that she didn’t mind. Going with Tony sounded like a great time, not only would she experience her first American school dance, but she would spend it with Tony, the one that had constantly occupied her thoughts. The one that she couldn’t wait to talk to every day.

“Yes.” She spoke. Tony’s smile was as large as his face. She had never seen him look so...happy. So joyous. That smile made her heart beat faster, made butterflies fly around her stomach. They stared into each other’s eyes, not wanting to break the hold. Tony began to lean into her. He placed his lips softly on hers. She kissed him back with just as much tenderness and affection as she could. When he pulled back, the smile was still there residing on his face. She loved the fact that she was the one to put it there. She looked back around the treehouse, finally understanding it’s intention. This was something romantic, was something more thoughtful than she could have ever imagined. 

“That is why you have been acting weird today, yes?” Tony looked sheepishly at the wood that surrounded them and gave a light chuckle. He nodded.

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it all week, well when Abby first brought it up. And I spent all night last night thinking about everything that I would do, everything I would say. I didn’t want to mess it up. It was too important. You’re too important.” She smiled, she felt the need to just hug him. Which was very unlike her. She was never a hugger, never a cuddler, never a kisser. But with Tony, she felt this pull, this need to be able to do these things. She smiled up at him and pulled him back down to her. She placed a sweet kiss upon his lips and smiled when he deepened it. He had set up blankets and pillows throughout the treehouse making it more comfortable to sit on. He slowly laid her down on the blanket, her head hitting one of the soft pillows. One of his hands went to her cheek, trying to pull her even closer to him, while the other placed itself on her hip. She allowed him to do this. Even though she had never done anything like this before with anyone, she trusted him. Another thing that surprised her. She didn’t easily trust others, she had bad experiences with trust. But with him, that went out the door. She placed her hands on his back, slowly running her hands up and down. He let a small groan pass through and that’s what broke Ziva out of the trance. She pulled back from the kiss, sucking in a much-needed breath. Tony looked at her and smiled. His green eyes shone brightly as they looked at her. She placed one more quick kiss upon his lips and moved a tad away from him. They weren’t ready for that yet. Hell, they weren’t even dating. Maybe that would change soon. She really hoped that it would. They had talked about taking things slow, but she wanted to be his, wanted him to call her his. Wanted to tell off all the other girls that tried to get with him and hook up with him, tell them that he was hers. 

Sensing that she was deep in thought, he brought his hand to hers. Squeezing it lightly. It brought her back to the present. The question in his eyes was evident. She didn’t want to get his thoughts jumbled up. She was the one that told him that they should take it slow, and here she was thinking about a full-on relationship with him. She didn’t want to confuse him or scare him away. 

He could sense her hesitation.

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” She smiled and her face turned a shade pinker than she would have liked. Again, she hesitated. Maybe this was too much, what would he say to it? What would he think? She thought back to the steamy kiss that they had shared only moments before. Clearly, he was still interested, right? Of course, he was. He wouldn’t have asked her to the dance if he wasn’t. She sighed and took his hand.

“Remember our conversation about taking things slow?” He nodded, still not looking away from her or loosening his grip on her hand. She looked out the opening in the treehouse at the sparkling water ahead of them. She found that that gave her the strength to ask him.

“What would you say to moving forward?” If she thought his smile earlier lit up his face, it was nothing to the one that was there now. 

“Are you serious?” She nodded her head, looking into his eyes.

“I want to...try.” He nodded.

“I do too. More than anything.” She smiled at that. Clearly, he was just as smitten with her as she was him. 

“Then let’s do it.” His voice was strong. Like he was delivering a speech about something that he believed in. Which in a way, he kind of was. He was passionate about her. Wanted to be with her more than anything and now that she was willing to give them a chance he was out of this world.   
“So...we’re dating?” She smiled.

“I guess we are.” 

She was going to the dance with him not as a friend, not as a fling, but as his girlfriend. Girlfriend. With Jeanne, he hated the term and felt like it was meaningless. But with Ziva, it felt like a revelation. He loved the word, wanted to say it out loud to anyone that would listen. This was the beginning of something special, something he wouldn’t let go without a fight. And he was going to do everything he could to make her happy.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

The week had gone by quickly. Classes were easy and homework was completed. The news got out that Tony and Ziva were officially a couple, probably some of Abby’s doing, and everybody gave them more looks than they normally did. Both of them ignored all of them, as they were happy. They had only been together officially for a week now, and Ziva was having the time of her life. She couldn’t get over the feeling that she would get when Tony was around her, or even if he was somewhere where she wasn’t. He had finally been able to play again for the basketball team and Ziva had been to every one of his games since, wearing his letterman jacket. 

The only bad thing about this week was Jeanne. She would try her absolute best to make her miserable. It was something that Ziva could 100% take, but she was getting annoyed. Tony broke up with her. She needed to get over it. Tony was hers now and she was his. Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing beside her at her desk. Speaking of Tony.

Tony: Hey sweetcheeks :)

Ziva: Hello, Tony. 

Tony: How was your day?

Ziva: It has been good. How about yours?

Tony: Great now that I’m talking to you ;)

Ziva: How did you do tonight?

He was the star player in tonight’s game, something his team didn’t fail to remind him all week. They needed him to be on his best game, no matter what. She wasn’t able to make it as her mother needed her help and she had homework to do.

Tony: Great! It’s still great to be back! I rained 32 points. 

Ziva: Well that is impressive, yes?

Tony: To some standards. ;) How’s the homework going?

Ziva: Just finished about 10 minutes ago. About to get in the shower and get some shut-eye.

Tony: So does that mean I can’t come by?

Ziva smiled. 

Ziva: I did not say that. :)

Tony: If not, I totally understand.

Ziva: I have not seen you all day. Either your team swooped you away or you were crowded by what seemed like every girl in D.C.

Tony: You know I only got eyes for you. ;)

Ziva: I will see you soon.

Tony: Be there soon.

Ziva smiled as she set her phone down on her nightstand. She looked at the fabric hung on the wall above her desk. The one Tony helped her with. The one that was Tali’s. She couldn’t help but think about how she would have thrived in America. She could’ve gone to school, met Abby and McGee. Met Tony. She liked to think that she would have liked him. She chuckled. Who was she kidding? She would have loved him. 

She looked at her clock and noticed the time and made her way to the bathroom. Tony was on his way, so she needed to be quick. She stripped off her clothes and got into her shower. The warm water hitting her made her thoughts calm just a little bit more. 

She must have taken longer than she thought because she was knocked out of reverie by a sound downstairs. She finished up her shower and turned the water off. She got out and wrapped a towel around herself. She made her way into her bedroom but stopped in her tracks when she saw Tony waiting for her on her bed. His eyes roamed her body as she had only a towel on. She would be lying if she said a shiver didn’t go down her spine with him looking at her like that.

“Time got away from me.” Tony smiled at her. 

“I can tell.” She looked at the clothes waiting patiently for her at the end of the bed. She slowly walked over to them, noticing that Tony’s eyes didn’t leave her once. He moved closer to her. He stood to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Ziva let out a sigh, reveling in his presence. He brought his head down and placed kisses upon her neck and her shoulder, making her legs feel like they were going to fall out from under her. Her hands moved to his, squeezing them tightly. She heard him chuckle into her shoulder, moving up and planting a kiss behind her ear. She let out a small moan at the sensation. She turned around and brought his head down to place a kiss upon his lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth, making him groan. When they pulled back, they were breathless. She placed her forehead upon his and looked into his beautiful green eyes. He smiled at her with his 100-watt grin. 

“I missed you.” He whispered. She smiled at him and leaned in to give him another kiss. She laughed.

“If my mother was to come in here right now, I would be in trouble.” They laughed together and Ziva grabbed her clothes and made her way back to her bathroom. She looked at him over her shoulder as she walked.

“I will be right back.”

“I’ll be right here.” She smiled at him as she closed the door. She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t get over the constant smile on her face. She had never smiled this much before in her entire life. She wished her father, her brother, and her sister could have experienced this peace. This wonderful new life she and her mother now had. No more violence, no more death. This is what life was all about. She had no doubt over half of it had to do with Tony. She loved his personality, his presence, his family. Her eyes went wide as she realized, she was falling in love with him. What would normally have freaked her out, made her smile. She liked the idea of loving him. Of him loving her. It didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified at all. She couldn’t stop the negative thoughts that also plagued her mind too. What if they didn’t work out? What if he left her for someone else? What if she wasn’t good enough?

She shook her head at herself. Tony had proven himself to her over the last couple of months. Really showed her the Tony on the inside. The one that is caring and kind, sweet and romantic. She really hoped things would be okay, that they would work out. 

She looked at her clothes which consisted of one of Tony’s sweatshirts and a pair of shorts. When she opened the door, she saw Tony laying face down on her bed, his eyes closed. She smiled at him. He looked so innocent and childlike, well even more than usual, and just...relaxed. She walked over to him and ran her hand up and down on his back. She smiled at the groan he produced. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. He held his hand out for her, which she accepted, and went willingly when he pulled her down to lay with him. He wrapped his arm around her and her back rested softly against his stomach. She could feel his breath on her cheek and she smiled at the comfort of it. Tony had never spent the night before. It was something they were both hesitant about, as they didn’t want to rush things and go too far. They also didn’t want their parents to disapprove of some sort. Maybe he could tonight. He looked worn in from his game.

‘No. That is not right. Worn out. Yes!!’ She smiled at how she knew Tony would have corrected her if she had said it out loud. She turned to look at him to see his eyes were closed again. 

“Tony?” He slowly opened his eyes to look at her.

“Maybe you should text Gibbs and Jenny and ask if you can stay here tonight.” He sighed.

“I don’t want to..” She stopped him and put a hand on his cheek.

“I know but you're not. I will just have to ask my mother. You are way too tired to be driving anyway. Text your parents while I go talk to my mother.” She reluctantly got up and out of his embrace and made her way out of her room. She went down the stairs and saw her mother sitting in the living room watching some tv show. Rivka turned to look at her and gestured for her to sit. She went and asked if she could pause her show.

“Ima, Tony is too tired to drive home tonight from his game, would it be okay if he stayed tonight? I promise nothing will happen.” Rivka smiled. She knew this was going to come up soon. Especially with how close Tony and Ziva had become. 

“If it is okay with his parents, I do not see a problem with it.” Ziva smiled and hugged her.

“Thank you, Ima.” As Ziva made to get up, she felt Rivka grab ahold of her hand.

“I trust you, Ziva.” Ziva smiled. She leaned down and placed a kiss on her mother’s cheek. 

“Laila Tov Ima.” 

“Laila Tov, Zivaleh.” Ziva grinned as she made her way back upstairs.

While Ziva had gone down to ask Rivka if he could stay the night, Tony pulled out his phone and texted his mom as his father still had his flip phone.

Tony: Hey mom, is it okay if I stay at Ziva’s tonight? I’m too tired to drive home and I don’t feel like walking. Ziva’s talking with her mom now, if she says okay, can I?

He was nervous about texting her. He didn’t fail to notice how he rambled and what seemed to him as being repetitive. He was nervous. He’s never stayed with Ziva overnight and was worried about what Rivka would say. Maybe she didn’t trust him with her only daughter yet. His reply came back.

Mom: If Rivka says it’s okay, then we don’t have a problem with it. Just don’t do anything stupid.

He laughed. Leave it to his mother to say something like that. He had no doubt in his mind she would rip him a new one if he did anything stupid. Just like he had no doubt that his dad would give him a firm slap to the back of his head.

Tony: I’ll let you know what she says when Ziva gets back. Thank you.

He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes again. He was exhausted. He worked hard. Played hard. Now all he wanted to do was sleep with his girl in his arms. He opened his eyes when the bed dipped at the end. He saw Ziva in his sweatshirt looking at him with a smile.

“You can stay.” He smiled at her and pulled her to him for a kiss. 

“What did your parents say?” 

“Said I could as long as Rivka was okay with it.” She nodded and snuggled into her pillow. 

Tony: Rivka said it was okay. Will be home in the morning. Love you.

Mom: Love you too.

“Can I take a quick shower?” He didn’t want to just use her things without permission. He wasn’t sure how much he was free to do. She laughed at him.

“You do not have to ask Tony.” With that, she let him go into her bathroom. She heard the shower turn on and his footsteps as he got into the shower. She smiled as she liked him being over. Liked knowing she would be in his arms tonight and wake up with him tomorrow. She hugged her arms around herself and inhaled the scent that was just Tony. He had given it to her earlier in the week and it quickly became her favorite. She heard the shower turn off and saw Tony emerge from the bathroom in just his boxers. Her eyes racked his form. From his broad shoulder to his 6 rock hard abs. Not only was he charming and sweet, but he was very nice to look at. He noticed her staring and smiled. Normally it was him raking her form, now it was her. He loved that. He climbed back into bed with her and smiled as she snuggled up to him. She had told him about how she was never really a cuddler so it made him feel good that she wanted to do that with him. He looked over and turned off the lamp on her bedside table. 

He had his girl in his arms and nothing could ever be better.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

Ziva woke up to a warm feeling spreading through her. She smiled as she looked behind her to see Tony, his head in her hair, and his arms around her. She liked this. Even if it was only the first time they had done it. She has slept peacefully all night. She had had nightmares since her family's deaths. With Tony here, they went away and she was grateful. She felt him stir behind her and she turned around to face him. 

His eyes were droopy with sleep and his hair was sticking up in all angles. She liked seeing him like this. No style in his hair, relaxed and sleepy, no stress from the day.

“Good morning.” His voice was husky, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

“Boker Tov.” He smiled at her use of her native language. He loved it when she did that. It always sent tingles down his back, not that he would tell anyone that. 

“How’d you sleep?” 

“Better than I have in a while. You?” He pulled her closer to him if it was even possible. 

“Good.” He leaned closer to her and captured her lips within his. She leaned into the kiss and placed her hand on the back of his head, wrapping his fingers in his hair. He loved it when she did that. He deepened the kiss and rolled her to where she was under him. She let him. 

When they pulled apart, he smiled at her, something she gracefully returned. Tony turned to look at the clock on her bedside table and noticed that it was 10:30 AM. They had slept in that long? 

“Thank you for letting me stay last night.” She smiled up at him and pulled him back down for another kiss.

“You are very welcome.” Their kisses had always been soft and caring with a hint of unshielded desire. But now, the lust they felt for one another rolled off them in waves. They knew that they weren’t ready for that, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t explore it a little. 

They were brought out of their bubble by a knock on the door. They pulled apart quickly. The last thing they needed was for Ziva’s mother to see them in a passionate embrace. Ziva got out of the bed reluctantly and made her way to the door. She opened it to see her mother on the other side.

“Good morning. I just got a call from Abby. She wants to know if she can come over.” Ziva’s eyebrows pinched together. The Dance!

“Oh! Yes! She was going to help me with my hair and everything for the dance tonight. I will call her. Thank you.” Rivka looked behind her at Tony. She smirked at his appearance.

“Good morning, Tony. Did you sleep well?” Tony smiled at her. 

“I did, Ms. David. Thank you for letting me stay last night.” Rivka gave him a look.

“What have I told you? Please call me Rivka. Ms.David makes me feel old.” Tony smiled at her.

“Old? When? Where?” He was looking around the room as if trying to find this accusation.

Rivka leaned in to whisper into Ziva’s ear.

“Definitely a keeper.” They both laughed. Ziva looked back at him and smiled. Yes, he was. 

“Talk to Abby soon. She sounded urgent.” Ziva laughed. Yes, that was Abby.

“I will.” With that, Rivka smiled at them and started her way back down the stairs. Ziva closed the door and made her way back to her bed. She grabbed her phone from her side table and clicked on Abby’s name. She answered within the first two rings.

‘Hey, Ziva!’

‘Hello, Abby. I heard you called this morning.’

‘Yeah. Your mom said you were still asleep. I was just calling to ask when you wanted me to come over.’ 

‘It is fine Abby. Could you be here around lunch? That should be enough time, yes?’

‘Absolutely! I’ll see you then!’

‘Okay. Bye Abby.’

‘Bye’ 

She put the phone back where it was and settled into Tony’s arms. 

“When you do have to be home?” She felt him shrug his shoulders behind her. 

“Whenever you kick me out.” She laughed.

“I do not want you to go but we both have to get ready for tonight and I have a feeling that Abby will not let you stay when she arrives.”

“Probably not. Then I guess I’ll leave when she gets here unless you want me to leave sooner.” She turned to face him and placed her hand on his cheek. She placed a sweet, soft kiss upon his lips.

“No. I want you to stay.” He smiled at her. 

“What do you wanna do? I have no objections to laying here with you until then.” She chuckled.

“I do not either. I do however have a plan for what I want to do, at least eventually.” Tony raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah? And what’s that?” She smiled up at him. She knew that he would like what she was about to tell him.

“Well, now that we know what it's like for you to stay overnight, I was thinking about getting a television. Maybe so you can catch me up on your favorite movies.” His face lit up at the idea. He practically jumped out of the bed and went to get his clothes. She couldn’t help but laugh at him as he scrambled around the room to get out the door.

“Tony!” He looked back at her from trying to put his pants on. He didn’t even have to try to make her laugh, it was nice. 

“Slow down, we have some time.” Tony smiled at her.

“Do you have any idea how happy this makes me? That you want to watch movies with me? That you actually want to. Everybody always rolls their eyes at my movie references, but you actually want to listen to them.” He moved back over to her and captured her lips in a passionate and sweet kiss. He couldn’t believe this. She wanted to be a part of one of the biggest things of his life. Movies. 

She gladly accepted the kiss and smiled into it as she hadn’t seen Tony this excited since they decided they would start dating. The real reason she wanted to get a TV to watch movies with him, wasn’t really because of the movies themselves. She loved to see how his face lit up with amazement when he watched, well, anything. She loved to see how excited he would get and how he would quote the lines throughout the movie. She loved it. 

“I know a place where you can get a good one. It’s also a place filled with movies that you can buy too.” Tony pulled her out of her bed and planted a kiss upon her forehead. 

“I’ll let you get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.” With that, he practically ran out the door. She shook her head, laughing. This boy amazed her. How he could fill her heart with just a smile or look. She went over to her closet and pulled out a pair of sweatpants, a white t-shirt, and her grey crocks. If she had to wear a dress and heels tonight, she was going to be comfortable during the day. She kept Tony’s sweatshirt on as she had no intention of taking it off and went to her bathroom to complete everything else. When she looked at the clock again, she noticed that they should have plenty of time to get there and get back before Abby showed up. 

She made her way down the stairs and saw Tony talking with her mother. Almost as if he could sense her presence, he looked her way and smiled that smile at her. She made it the rest of the way down and moved to where they were in the kitchen. 

“Ima, we are going to the store. We should be back before Abby arrives, but if we don’t, please tell her we will be home shortly.” Rivka nodded and went back to her tea. 

Tony latched his hand with hers and intertwined their fingers, all the while pulling her towards the front door. Her laughter flooded the room. 

Tony opened the car door for her and she sat down in the seat. Tony was in his seat in a matter of seconds. He turned the key in the ignition, and the vehicle roared to life. He pulled out of Ziva’s driveway and they were on their way to the store. What she didn’t know was that he had no intention of letting her pay. He was going to get her the best TV that she could have and pick out movies he thinks that she might like. He reached over the center console and grabbed her hand, intertwining them again. He loved to hold her hand. Loved to have her in his arms and just loved to be around her. 

“So, what is this store that you are taking me to?” 

“A little place called best buy. Filled to the brink with movies, video games, TVs, and a lot of other things. Tim and Abby love to go there for their games and stuff. Me, I like to go when the movies are on sale.” He winked at her. 

They pulled into the parking lot about 15 minutes later and got out of the car. Ziva looked at the place in astonishment. This wasn’t a small store like she was expecting. This place was huge. No wonder Tony loved it. She could see the TVs from the door. They walked hand-in-hand into the store and Tony made a beeline for the tv section. She looked around. She had a good amount of space in her room for one and had actually been thinking about getting one before today. She also had a good amount of money to spend on one and was excited about doing this with Tony. 

She found one that she liked and was almost knocked off her feet by the price. Why were they so expensive? Maybe they should find somewhere that was cheaper. Tony came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“You like this one?” She had been staring at it for the last 15 minutes.

“Yes. But it is out of my price range. I need to find something a little cheaper.” Tony smiled and looked at the employee who was helping them, silently nodding at him that they would be taking one of them. The employee nodded back at him and went to retrieve the tv from the back. Tony smiled as Ziva was still looking at the screen and had no idea what he was about to do for her. He understood that her life before America was difficult, wasn’t a normal childhood, and he wanted nothing more than to spoil her. Give her everything she ever wanted and then some. 

Ziva turned to look at him over her shoulder and looked into his eyes when she noticed he was looking at her first. 

“I have a surprise for you.” Ziva’s eyes narrowed as she wasn’t one to enjoy surprises. She turned around to see the employee that was helping them with a TV box on a trolley. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was up to.

“Tony. I cannot let you do this.” Tony shrugged.

“Why not? You liked it and I’ll probably use it as much as you do.” He laughed at that. If she would have him of course. 

“Tony. This is expensive. I cannot let you buy this.” He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. 

“How about this, I buy the TV, and you can buy the movies.” She narrowed her eyes even more.

“Are you going to let me buy the movies?” Tony smiled at her.

“No.” She slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Tony.” He covered her mouth with his, silencing her for the time being.

“I wanna do this. Trust me.” She went to argue further when he looked at the employee again.

“Can you have it ready for us upfront? We still have some shopping we would like to do.” The employee nodded and did exactly what Tony asked of him. Tony pulled her over to the movie section and couldn’t keep the smile off his face when he noticed they were all 50% off. This was the best day ever! He grabbed one of the baskets and the end of the aisle and started picking up movies and putting them in the basket. Ziva couldn’t help but smile at his child-like behavior when it came to movies. 

After a few minutes of him just picking at everything on the shelves, he turned to look at her and gave her another kiss. Ziva, who wasn’t that big on public displays of affection, was still getting used to this. What was with him today? 

Finally, she got Tony to leave the movie aisle. They made their way where Ziva tried again to not let him pay for a TV and a bunch of movies, but he wouldn’t relent. He carried the TV to his car while she carried the three bags of movies that he had picked out for her, well them. He put the TV into the backseat and they got into the car minutes later. Ziva pulled out her phone to text her mother telling her that they were on their way back. She looked at the clock and noticed they had spent almost an hour at the store and needed to back soon if they wanted to catch Abby. She was grateful that Tony would do something like this for her, but she wasn’t too sure about it. She had always been taught that to do something you had to do it yourself. 

Tony looked over at her and could see her hesitation about him doing this for her. He reached over and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. 

“Are you okay?” She was snapped out of her thoughts by his voice. 

“I am fine.” Tony could tell that she wasn’t fine. He could see it in her eyes.

“Ziva. I can tell you're not fine. What’s wrong?” She sighed as she knew she couldn’t lie to him.

“I am not used to this. The public affections, the buying me things, a relationship. This is all new to me.” Tony softly squeezed her hand.

“I know.” That was it? He knew? What all did he know exactly? Her mouth opened a little at his words. Tony saw this and gave her a shy smile.

“I know because from what I’ve heard from you, things were difficult growing up. I just want to surprise and spoil you as much as I can because I know that you deserve it.” His words touched her. She didn’t know what all he planned to surprise her with, but she found that she was dreading it less. She still didn’t want him to spend money on things for her. There were ways to spoil her without the use of any money. 

“Tony, I do not want you to spend your money on me. It could go towards something that you can use.” Tony smiled at her.

“I want to spend on things for the both of us. I know that I’ll watch this TV may be more than you. And hey, look at it like this; You get a TV and I can spend more time with you when you watch movies. A win-win situation.” His smile made her let out a chuckle. 

“Promise me something.” He raised his eyebrows at her, silently asking ‘what?’

“Do not spend too much, please.” He sighed.

“How about we make a deal?” He had an idea for a compromise.

“I’m not going to stop spoiling you and making you feel like the beautiful person that you are, but I can limit big things to once a month. That doesn’t mean I won’t stop doing it, I’ll just give you smaller things.” She narrowed her eyes skeptically at him. 

“I promise. I want to do this for you. Please, just let me.” She could see that he was serious about this whole thing. There was probably no way to snap him out of it.

“Fine. Only once a month, no more.” He smiled in victory. 

The rest of the ride back to her house was pretty quiet other than the little mumbling of Tony singing a song that was on the radio and Ziva’s chuckles when he did something weird with his hands. (Flailing them around; need to clarify for some ;)) Soon they were pulling back into her driveway, and Tony was practically skipping with the TV on his shoulder. Her mother gave her a look when they walked in the door and she couldn’t help but let out a laugh. 

“He was very adamant that I get a good one.” She looked down at the bags filled with movies. 

“And that I get many movies to hold us over for a while.” Rivka smiled at her daughter. She could see the happiness in her eyes. What every mother wants to see in their child. She was happy that Ziva could find happiness from their move, from everything that has happened in their family. She was happy that Ziva could confide in another. That she trusted someone. 

“Well, I better not hear the volume from down here.” Rivka joked. 

“You will not. I promise. Besides, I do not know if we will have time to watch anything, as Abby should be here soon. If there is one thing that I have learned about her is she is always on time.” They both shared a laugh, and Ziva made to go towards the stairs. She climbed her way up to see Tony setting up the TV on the wall of where she wanted it. By the look of it, he was already almost done. 

“That was fast.” He looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders.

“What can I say? I know how to set up a TV.” She chuckled at him and made her way over to her bed, setting the bags down, then headed over to her bathroom. 

She came out to find Tony sitting on her bed, remote in his hand and staring wide-eyed at the TV. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to see that Abby had texted her. 

Abby: Hey! I’m here. Can I come in?

Ziva: Yes. The door should be unlocked, just introduce yourself so you don’t frighten my mother. :)

Abby: Sure thing. 

“Abby is here.” Tony looked up at her with a slight frown. She knew that feeling. She didn’t want him to leave either. 

After about three minutes, the sound of footsteps running up the stairs could be heard. Tony and Ziva looked at one another and let out a chuckle as that could be none other than Abby. It wasn’t long before her bedroom door opened and a very excited looking Abby made her appearance. She sent a confused look their way when she realized that Tony was there. 

“Hey, Tony.” He smiled at her.

“Hey. I guess I should go.” He stood up and gathered his things from around her room. 

“I’ll pick you up around 7.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss, sent a wave to Abby, and went out the door. Ziva smiled as she saw his shoulder slump a little. She would see him again soon, there was nothing to worry about. 

She looked back over at Abby and noticed the smile that was plastered on her face. It was clear that something happened between the two of them as her bed was not made and both sides were rumpled. She blushed as she could only guess what this looked like. 

“He spent the night last night.” She finally said. Abby gave a small squeal. 

“Really? How did that go? Was it...cozy?” She had a mischievous look in her eyes.

“We just slept, Abby. He was too tired to drive home after he came to see me.” Abby smirked at her but decided to let the situation pass, at least for now.

“Okay. Are you ready to glam up?” Ziva sent her a ‘what?’ look. Abby saw it.

“You know. Make-up, dresses, heels. The whole she-bang.” Ziva gave her a hesitant nod as she didn’t know what that even was.

“Okay? My dress is in my closet.” Abby ran over and almost screamed with excitement at being able to do this with Ziva. They had become close since they had met. Abby really considered her to be one of her best friends and loved spending time with her. Abby really enjoyed it when they all got together, parents included, and just have fun. 

“Are you ready?” Ziva gave her a nervous smile.

“Yes.” 

She had no idea what she was getting herself into.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

Tony stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had chosen a classic for tonight. A black tux with a white button shirt underneath, with a lilac-colored bowtie, which he had gotten from Ducky. He thought that it would be best if he and Ziva matched tonight, so when Ducky found out the color, he adamantly requested that Tony take one of his ties.

Now, he stood in front of his mirror looking at his reflection. He was nervous about tonight. He was excited to see Ziva but was nervous that something would go wrong. He wanted to make sure she had the best time that she possibly could. It was her first American dance after all. He just couldn't shake this gut feeling that something was going to happen tonight. If there was anything that he learned from his dad, it was to always trust your gut.

He knocked out of his reverie with a knock coming from his door.

"Come in." The door opened to reveal Tim, standing in his sharp black tux with a black tie. He was taking Abby, even if they agreed to go as friends. Tony looked over at him and gave him a smirk.

"About time to go?"

"Yeah. Got a text from Abby a minute ago saying that you weren't going to be able to speak when you see Ziva." Tony chuckled at that, Tim along with him.

"I have no doubt that she'll look beautiful. But hey, when doesn't she?" Tim smiled at that.

"You really like her, don't you? This isn't some fling or experiment." Tony smiled at him.

"No, Tim. This is far from that. I couldn't imagine being with anyone but her, and I'll never want to." He gulped, preparing for what he was about to say.

"I think I'm falling in love with her." His voice was quiet, deep. Tim could barely hear the declaration, but he did. Tim's eyes went wide.

"Really?" Tony gave him another small smile and nodded.

"Everything about her makes me happy. Makes me want to spend time with her. Do you know what we did today? We went and got movies and a TV. Voluntarily. It was her idea." Tim smiled at that.

"She said she wanted to watch them with me and enjoy them with me. Can you believe that? She actually wants to do it, I don't have to beg her." Tim shrugged his shoulders.

"If what Abby has told me, I think that she might feel the same about you." Tony's head shot up to look at him.

"Really?" Tim nodded at him. He and Abby talked a lot. They were best friends after all. While Ziva was getting ready, Abby had been texting him nonstop about how Ziva couldn't shut up about Tony. How her face would light up at the mention of him. He had no doubt that these two were going to go the long haul. And not just to graduation. He meant marriage and kids, but that was a big topic to bring and they had only been officially together for a week. If only he had enough courage to ask Abby out.

He was too terrified to do that. She was his best friend, his partner in crime. He didn't want to risk messing all of that up.

Tony could sense that his brother was in a faraway land. He could sense what he was probably thinking of.

"So, what about Abby?" Now it was Tim's turn to be surprised.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Tony gave him a look.

"Come on, Tim. I know you have feelings for her." Tim blushed and looked down at the floor. After a few seconds of silence, Tim shrugged his shoulders.

"There's not much that I can do. She doesn't feel the same about me as I do her. I don't want to ruin everything." Tony walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Tim...if my eyes haven't deceived me, which I don't think they have, then she feels the same about you." Tim shook his head.

"I'm too terrified to find out. She's my best friend." Tony patted him on the back.

"I know. Ziva's my best friend too. That's good to have in a relationship. Tell her how you feel. You would be surprised at how good it feels to actually do that." Tim gave him a small smile.

"Maybe I should." His voice was barely below a whisper, but Tony heard it. He smiled at his younger brother and hoped that he could summon enough courage to ask her.

Tony looked at his watch and noticed that it was about time to go. He pulled on his suit jacket, looking at his reflection once more, and grabbed the corsage that he got for Ziva. It was a mixture of lilac and white-colored flowers. It would go perfectly with the color that they had chosen. Tim had Abby's in his hand. It was all black, of course, it was. It was for Abby after all.

They began the trek down the stairs to the living room. They knew their mother would want to take some pictures before they left. Jenny gasped when she saw them at the end of the steps. They looked so handsome. She smiled at them and Gibbs gave them a smirk. Silently telling them that they looked appropriate. They both sent a small smile his way and looked back at their mother, who wanted to take what seemed like a million pictures.

Finally, Tony looked at his watch and noticed that this time, it really was time to go.

"Mom. We have to go pick up the girls. I'm sure Rivka will get some more pictures to you by the end of the night." He walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, Tim doing the same.

They already knew that since it wasn't a school night, they didn't have an early curfew. As long as they were at one of their homes by midnight, they didn't care. The plan was to stay at the Gibbs residence after the party, but you never know what could happen.

Tony and Tim made their way to Tony's car and got in. The drive to Ziva's house was mainly nervous silence. They both felt the overwhelming emotions that were making themselves known. Soon, Tony pulled into Ziva's driveway, slowly turning the ignition of the car. He let out a few breaths, seeing Tim do the same. They slowly got out of the car and made their way to the door. The nervousness was replaced by excitement. Tony reached over and rang the doorbell. Within seconds, Rivka was opening the door for them and allowing them inside.

"They are almost ready." She sent Tony a wide smile. Knowing how she was about to knock his socks off. Tony sent her a warm smile back. He already knew that Ziva was going to look beautiful. It didn't matter what she was wearing. The first to come down was Abby. Her dress was all black with the top being covered in sparkles. It was sleeveless with a v-neck shape down the front. The skirt was flowy but wasn't too over the top. It fit her personality perfectly. Her makeup was natural looking. She had smoky eyes with red lipstick. She wore black earrings with a matching necklace. She looked beautiful. She giggled at Tim, who kept raking up and down her form, taking her in. Tony could see him gulp and blush as he noticed everyone was looking at him. He pulled out the corsage that he got for her and placed it onto her right wrist. It was all black as well.

"You look beautiful." Tim finally managed to say to her. She giggled again at him.

"You look good too, Timmy." She pulled him into a hug, for which he accepted without question. Tony could only laugh at them.

Tony was brought out of his laughter when he saw something catch his eyes at the end of the stairwell. Holy crap. Ziva was standing there, looking at him with a sweet smile on her face. Her dress was beautiful lilac color and fit her frame perfectly. Like Abby's, it was also sleeveless, but the v on the front went down a little further. The skirt went all the way down to the ground and hugged her in all the right places. He could only look at her and stare. Now he knew how Tim felt. Her hair was left curly and was half up half down. He knew he was staring but he couldn't help it. She was a magnificent creature.

Rivka took many pictures of them looking at one another. The one of Tony standing there wide-eyed and jaw on his chest would definitely be printed. Ziva's look towards him was nervous admiration. She didn't know if it was too much or if it was just right. She had never done something like this, especially not for a boy.

Tim and Abby couldn't help but laugh at his loss of words. Tim reveled in it, as he was just making fun of him for staring at Abby. Tim moved over to him and delivered a not so delicate headslap to the back of his head. That seemed to snap Tony out of his stupor. He gulped one more time and slowly made his way over to her. She looked up into his eyes and smiled up at him. Tony looked down at her lips, resisting every urge in his body to not kiss her.

"You...look...amazing." Her smile got brighter. She liked being the one to make him speechless. She leaned in and placed a small kiss upon his lips, making him respond eagerly. She pulled back quickly as she didn't want things to get too heated. Especially with her mother and friends in the room. He smiled at her and placed the white and lilac corsage on her left wrist.

"I don't if I can stop saying this but...you look beautiful." Ziva blushed at his words.

"You do not look bad yourself." They stared into one another's eyes, getting lost in them before Abby cleared her throat making them pull away.

Ziva looked over at her mother and smiled at her. She could see the tears in her Ima's eyes and went over to give her a quick hug.

"(You look beautiful, Zivaleh.)" She spoke in Hebrew as she always did when she got emotional and Ziva hugged her tighter.

"(Thank you, Ima.)" When Rivka finally let her go and wiped her tears, she pulled out her camera and took many pictures of the four of them together, as well as them in their pairings. Finally, Ziva had to tell her they had to go if they wanted to make it on time.

They piled out the door with a wave and got into Tony's car. The drive to school was more active than it was earlier with just Tony and Tim. Tony and Ziva were in the front while Tim and Abby were in the back talking amicably about some new video game coming out next month. While Tony was looking at the road making sure that they didn't get into an accident, Ziva was staring at him. He looked very handsome tonight, not that he didn't every night, but tonight the suit he was wearing added appeal to him. He looked over at her, sensing that she was staring at him. He gave her one of his most charming smiles and she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. He pulled her hand towards him and placed a kiss upon her hand.

They pulled into the parking lot and noticed that many people were already there. Tony turned the car off and went to open the door for Ziva. He took her hand, guiding her out of the car, and offered her his arm. She smiled up at him and gladly took it. Tim did the same with Abby.

The crew made their way into the school and made their way to the gym, where the dance was being held. They walked through the doors and were struck by the immediate sound of music. Students and staff were crowding the gym and dancing to the songs that they were playing. They weaved through the crowds and found a table that was not in use.

"You guys want any punch?" Tony asked. They all nodded in affirmation that they would like one. Tony placed a kiss upon Ziva's cheek and made his way towards the snack bar/punch area. He was pouring the third glass when a hand rested against his bicep. He looked up to see Jeanne standing less than a foot away from him and batting her eyelashes at him. He was not in the mood for this.

"What do you want Jeanne?" His tone was cold, unwavering. He looked over to see Ziva looking his way and if looks could kill, Jeanne would be dead on the floor.

"Care to have a dance?" Tony shook his head. When would she get that he wasn't interested? That he was never truly interested in her?

"I'm here with someone. My girlfriend actually. So no, I don't want to dance with you." He picked up the cups and made his way back to the table. What he didn't see was Jeanne's eyes narrowing, her hands on her hips. Silently saying that this wasn't over.

He made it to the table and sat down with a huff. Instantly, he reached out for Ziva's hand. He wanted to assure her that he wasn't interested in Jeanne or any other girl that passed his way. He only wanted her for as long as she would have him. Hopefully, that will be forever. He felt her give his hand a squeeze. This was only the beginning of the night.

Ziva knew that Jeanne and her lackeys were watching them. Knew that they were glaring at her for "taking" Tony away from her. She didn't care. Tony was hers. She wasn't the type to share what was hers. Especially with bitchy cheerleaders. She decided to forget all about Jeanne and just focus on the moment with Tony and their friends. They saw Jimmy enter the gym with a blond on his arm. She was very pretty, about 5"5 with blue eyes. Tony had to smile at them. That was Breena Slater, one of the nicest girls that he had ever met. She was always kind no matter who you were or what you were doing. She was beautiful, but many stayed away from her because her father was the town coroner, and everybody knew that she wanted to take over for him when she got older. Nobody wanted to be friends with someone who wanted to be around dead people.

Jimmy saw them and smiled. He made his way over to them.

"Hey, guys! This is Breena." Tony and Ziva both sent her a kind smile, which she gladly returned showing her bright white teeth.

"It is nice to finally meet you guys." Tim and Abby made their way over to them, Abby wanted another Caf-Pow! And who was Tim to deny her? Abby went over to her immediately and pulled her into one of her hugs.

"It's so good to see you. How was the conference?" Everybody looked at her, except Jimmy and Abby, with a confused expression upon their faces.

"It was great! Got to talk to a bunch of college deans and they all told me they want me at their school. Now, I just gotta choose one." Tony, Ziva, and McGee all looked at one another with a 'what is she talking about?' look. Abby noticed this and decided to explain.

"She went to a Coroner Conference this weekend. It was a plan to see what schools were available." Breena nodded, while Jimmy just looked at her with admiration. They knew that he wanted to possibly work with Ducky as a Medical Examiner, so for him to ask her out was probably a match made in heaven. They all smiled at the pair as the song changed. They changed the speed of their dance but stayed in each other's arms. They all swayed to the music.

Tony leaned to where his forehead was resting against Ziva's. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Nobody could compare to her. Not now, not ever. He could stay like this forever, with her in his arms. She looked up at him and leaned in to place a kiss upon his lips. The kiss quickly became heated and many basketball players whistled at them. He didn't let it deter him from him and just deepened the kiss even more. She complied willingly.

They pulled apart when a yell from Fornell rang through the gym. They resumed the dance and got carried into the music.

People were starting to file out of the gym, probably to head home. The crew continued to dance. Tony turned to look at Jimmy and couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted him. Breena's head was on his shoulder as they swayed and his arms were wrapped tightly around her. They made a good pairing.

"Hey, Jimbo." Jimmy looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"We're going back to my house after this. Wanna join us?" Jimmy smiled at him and leaned to whisper something in Breena's ear. They both looked at him.

"That would be awesome, Tony." Tony nodded his head.

They were practically the last ones in the gym at this point, save for a few students and teachers. They decided to call it a night and made their way back to their table to gather their things. Ziva grabbed her "purse" and announced that she was going to the restroom and she would be back soon.

She went out the doors and down the hallway. When she entered the bathroom, she went to her business and went to wash her hands at the sink. She got the sense that she was being watched. She looked up to see Jeanne standing behind her, glaring. Ziva returned her glare.

"What do you want Jeanne? I have somewhere to be." She wanted to get back to Tony.

"You know what I want. Stay away from Tony if you know what's good for you." Ziva let out a chuckle.

"He left you. He came to me." Jeanne huffed at her.

"You probably manipulated him or something. Aren't you some terrorist anyway?" Ziva smiled at her.

"No. But I do know how to kick your ass in many different ways. So I suggest that you leave me and Tony and the rest of us the hell alone, or you will get what's coming to you." With that, she walked out of the bathroom and back to the gym. She was stopped once again by Ron Sacks.

"Hey, baby. Wanna get out of here and have some fun?" She gave him a solid glare and moved to walk away from him. He grabbed her arm, not so gently, and pulled her back to him. He pulled her to where their faces were millimeters apart. She could see the lust in his eyes.

"Get away from me." Sacks gave her a crude smile and tried to get his body closer to her. She was so close to breaking his neck, even though that would be frowned upon.

"Get away from me. I will not say it again." Again, he smiled at her. Before she could think about what was going on, a fist came flying through the air. Landing its mark upon Sacks' face. He fell to the ground. She looked over to see Tony, angrily standing there. He moved over to Sacks and landed another punch to his face then another. Ziva moved over to him and pulled him off of him, even though she really didn't want to. Tim, Abby, Jimmy, and Breena all came running towards.

"Stay away from her you son of a bitch!" He moved to hit him again but Jimmy and Tim helped hold him back. Fornell came running into the hallway along with Ms. Sterling and saw what all the commotion was about.

"Tony, what the hell are you doing? Do you want to be benched again?" Tony was still staring angrily at Sacks.

"I don't care what you do. He messed with my girl." Fornell had a look of understanding cross his face. Tony again tried to move for another blow, but instead of being held back, his force caused Jimmy and Tim to fall back, and him to leap towards Sacks with surprising speed. He barely got another hit in when they pulled him off again. Ziva moved in front of him, trying to draw his attention to her.

"Tony." She spoke softly, kindly. He looked at her and his anger soon started to give way.

"He is not worth it. Let's go home. Watch a movie. Have fun with our friends and family." He closed his eyes, trying to get the remaining anger out of his system. Ziva always knew what to say to make him feel better. He nodded. She held out her hand for him and pulled him towards the door. Fornell stopped them.

"You have got to stop doing this, Tony. But, you won't have to worry about him anymore. He's off the team and I'm going to Vance first thing Monday morning to get this bastard out of here." Tony smiled at his coach.

"Thanks, Coach." Fornell nodded and patted Tony on the back. He was surprised as normally all the other teachers would've lectured him and given him detention, or tried to get him expelled. The crew made their way out of the building and to their vehicles. Tony, Ziva, Tim, and Abby to Tony's mustang, and Jimmy and Breena to his Morgan, something that Ducky gave him for his 16th birthday.

"You guys still coming tonight?" They all nodded towards him and got in their cars. The ride back to the house was filled with talk about the fight and Ziva filled them in on the conversation that she had with Jeanne in the bathroom. Tony would need to talk to her. Get her to fully understand that she had no control over him, that she didn't own him or his heart. Ziva did.

They pulled into the driveway and Tony shut the ignition off. They all got out of the car, Jimmy and Breena joining them on the porch. They opened the door to see Jenny and Gibbs on the couch in the living room. They turned their heads to look at them and Gibbs' eyes immediately narrowed at Tony.

"What happened?" Tony knew that his father would know something happened. He had bruised hands to prove it. He looked at his shoes. What was the best way to go about this?

"Dad. I…" He cut off mid-sentence. Ziva took his right hand in her left and squeezed lightly. She looked up to face them.

"It was my fault. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings." Everybody looked at her. Tony wouldn't let her go down for something like this again.

"No, it wasn't. I got into a fight after the dance." Gibbs huffed out a breath and his mother gave him a look. Gibbs could see the glint in his eyes though.

"Who was it?"

"Ron Sacks. One of the bullies at our school." Gibbs cursed under his breath.

"Son of a bitch." Jenny stood up and made her way over to the bunch. She cast a look towards Ziva.

"What was it about?" Anger flared inside Tony again.

"He was trying to make a move on Ziva. She kept telling him to back off, but every time he kept getting closer to her. Son of a bitch thinks he can take my girl, he's wrong." Ziva blushed at his words. It also kind of turned her on. She liked him talking like this. Jenny gave them a sympathetic look.

"Well. Everything is done now. Or at least for the rest of the weekend. The bonus room is all set up for you to watch movies and play games. Have fun. Don't let this ruin your night." They all nodded at her and with a last wave, headed upstairs. Jenny looked over at Gibbs.

"We need to do something about this punk." She could tell he was done. That he wanted this finished, she did too.

"We should call Vance on Monday. See what we can do. I imagine a bunch of other parents want him gone too." Gibbs nodded and gestured with his hand to come over to him. She sat back down on the couch and cuddled up next to him. They went back to the Cowboy film they were watching and reveled in the constant laughter radiating from upstairs.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

It had been a total of two months since the dance. Two months of Tony and Ziva dating officially. It was now October and Ziva was loving the fall air. Tony and Ziva had spent every moment that they could together. The crew had all gotten even closer, now with Breena in the mix as Jimmy’s girlfriend. It was nearing Halloween and Tony was still trying to explain the concept of it to Ziva. She couldn’t understand the fact that grown adults and teenagers would dress up in costumes, as well as kids, and go around knocking on doors asking for candy. 

Things had been going well. Sacks had been expelled from the school, and Jeanne hadn’t been after them, for now.

Currently, the crew was sitting in the bonus room at the Gibbs household watching a movie. Tony and Ziva were cuddled up on the couch, whispering in each other’s ears. Abby and McGee were on the floor, talking quietly talking about the graphics of the tv. Jimmy and Breena were silently watching together, as they were very talkative. Ziva and Tony had practically spent every night together that they could. They had also made a significant dent into the movie collection that now resided at Ziva’s house.

Jenny and Gibbs were at a conference in Seattle for the weekend, so everybody was over at their house, relaxing and having fun. Ziva looked up at him and couldn’t help the smile that plagued her face. He was so into the movie and was reciting the lines. He looked adorable and she couldn’t help but laugh at his behavior. He looked at her and noticed the smile on her face. 

“What?” She shrugged her shoulders.

“You just look cute when you watch movies.” He smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss. They pulled back and returned to the movie.

_________________________________________________________

After the movie ended, Tim and Abby got Jimmy and Breena into some game of Mario. Tony and Ziva escaped to his bedroom. She had been in there a number of times over the last couple of months. She couldn’t believe that she had been here for almost 6 months now. Dating Tony for two, and been best friends with him for all of it. Well not entirely in the beginning. But now, she couldn’t imagine not being around him. Couldn’t imagine life without him. 

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” She smiled as he always said that to her. 

“Just thinking about us. About my life now.” Tony smiled at her. 

“Is that a bad thing?” She shook her head strongly.

“No! Absolutely not!” She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, looking up to see him.

“I would not change it for anything.” He smiled at her and leaned down to place a passionate kiss upon her lips. She responded eagerly. He wanted to take things further but he didn’t want to rush things. He pulled back from her to make sure that they didn’t go too far. She understood his reasoning and agreed with him. Their thoughts were brought back to reality with the rumbling of Tony’s stomach. They both laughed at its persistence. If there was one thing that she learned about Tony, it was that he always had an appetite. 

She looked over at the clock and noticed that it was around 8 PM. 

“Do you want to order some food?” He nodded.

“Sure. What are you in the mood for?” She thought about it for a second. He could see her eyes light up as she thought of the perfect dinner for tonight.

“Pizza?” Ever since he had introduced her to the cheesy goodness, she had asked for it whenever she could. 

“That sounds great. I’ll go run it by the crew.” She nodded and he headed down the stairs to take their orders. She looked around his room and noticed a picture on his nightstand. It was the two of them on one of their first dates. They went back to the ice cream shop that she went to with his parents. It was the first time that she had really let loose around him. She had joked and laughed and smiled more than she ever had before. She smiled at the memory of the two of them. Things were developing well between them. 

She felt strong arms wrap around her waist, a head resting on her right shoulder. 

“We should get more of those.”

“Pictures?” She could feel him nod.

“Yeah. That’s practically the only one that I have of the two of us. That and the pictures from the dance.” She thought over that for a minute. He was right. They never really took pictures, well he always tried to take pictures of her but she would always hold up her hand. She would always smile at his persistence. 

“I think that we should too. I would like to have more in my room.” He smiled at her, placing a kiss upon her head. He took out his phone and placed the call for the pizza, listing off at least 4 different ones, then put it down on his bed. Looking as it bounced a couple of times. She could see it light up and saw that his screensaver was a picture of her. One that she didn’t recognize or remember being taken. She picked up the phone and looked at it more closely. She was wearing his letterman jacket and one of his Ohio State baseball caps. She was smiling at something in the distance. She looked over at him and noticed that he was blushing.

“I always loved that picture. Even if you weren’t looking at the camera.” She chuckled.

“Where was this even taken?” He smiled at her.

“It was one of the nights we went out to look at the stars. Actually, it was the first time we did that. You looked on at the sky, face filled with wonder. I couldn’t resist taking that picture. I didn’t look at it till I got home that night. I didn’t realize how good it was until I really looked at it. It’s been my lock screen ever since.” He looked at her with admiration and a hint of something else. He was holding something back. She had tears in her eyes as she recalled all of what he just said. His next sentence was very quiet, even she almost couldn’t hear it. Almost.

“It was the first time I realized that I was falling in love with you.” Her eyes went wide at his words. He loved her? He loved her like she loved him? She couldn’t help the large smile that made its way across her face. She practically ran at him and leapt into his arms, planting a firm and passionate kiss upon his lips. She eagerly kissed him, wanting to express everything she felt in this kiss. He kissed her back with the same passion. He held onto her like his life depended on it like he wasn’t planning on letting her go. Not that she wanted that anyway.

When they pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. 

“Does that mean…” Ziva nodded.

“I love you too.” He jumped into the air and placed another passionate kiss upon her lips. He moved her over to his bed and carefully laid her down on it. He moved kisses all over her face, neck, and shoulder. She couldn’t help the butterflies that sprouted in her stomach. She loved him. He loved her. She couldn’t believe it. Everything was so perfect, especially in this moment.

The two were starting to get carried away with one another but were forced to pull away when a knock sounded on his bedroom door. 

“Guys, pizza’s here!” It was Abby. They pulled apart from one another and smiled at each other. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” He gave her another kiss and held her hand in his as they made their way back down the stairs. The pizzas were laid out on the kitchen counter and everybody was taking what they wanted. Drinks were being poured and they all gathered around the TV for another movie as they ate. 

By the time everybody was done eating and the movie was finished, they noticed that it was around 1 AM. 

“I think we should head to bed.” They all nodded, too tired to voice it. Tony turned to see Ziva asleep on the couch. He carefully picked her up and carried her up the stairs bridal style. He got into his room and laid her down on his bed. She stirred and opened up her eyes a little. 

“Tony?” Her voice was low and filled with sleep. He ran a thumb across her cheek.

“Shh. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back in a minute.” She gave a slight nod and he disappeared into his bathroom. He took a very quick shower, brushed his teeth, and got into the bed. He was comfortable with wearing only his boxers around her now. After one morning, a couple of weeks back, Ziva couldn’t help but laugh at the compromising position that Tony was in. He smiled at the memory.

“That is definitely not your knee.” She laughed. Tony couldn’t help but bury his face into the pillow. This was not something he expected when he woke up. 

“It’s the morning.” She laughed even harder at his embarrassment. When she saw that he was smiling, but wasn’t entirely laughing, she planted a sweet kiss upon his lips and smiled at him.

“You have nothing to be uncomfortable about. I am just having some fun with you. I want you to be comfortable around me.” Tony smiled at her.

“I am comfortable around you. It’s just not something I was expecting this morning.” He couldn’t help the chuckle. 

“At least I know that you really are attracted to me.” She said it as a joke but Tony looked her dead in the eye as he spoke.

“I have been attracted to you since the first moment that I laid my eyes on you. Nothing is going to change that. Ever. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met in my life. Inside and out.” Tears were forming in her eyes at his sweet words. She wasn’t very good with emotions, something Tony knew, so she couldn’t say something that sweet at the time.

“You are not so bad yourself, Tony.” He smiled at her. He kissed her passionately that morning, turning it into a full-on make-out session. 

He snuggled up against her frame, her back up against his chest. He put his arms around her and inhaled the scent of just her. Everything about her made his insides turn into mush. He was happy that she recuperated his feelings. The fact that she loved him back meant more to him than anything ever had. The fact that she trusted him the way she did was something that Tony would never take for granted.

He fell asleep to her heartbeat.

________________________________________________

The next day, everyone got up and got dressed. Ziva had gotten used to having to pack a bag for overnights, especially if they had school the next day. They had spent more time at Tony’s than at hers. Rivka would come over some nights too. She was getting along with Jenny and Gibbs very well. Jenny and Rivka always talked on the phone and they would always eat lunch or dinner with one another. Both Tony and Ziva were glad that their parents were getting along. 

Everyone met in the kitchen and made either cereal or oatmeal. They left the house pretty quickly and all got into their separate cars. Tony sang some Frank Sinatra the whole way to school, while Ziva could only laugh at his antics. They pulled into Tony’s parking space and got out. They waited for the crew to arrive and then they all made their way into the building. They split off into separate directions to make it to their classes. Just like in previous months, Tony sat beside Ziva. They worked throughout the class diligently. By the time the bell rang, all of their work had been completed.

“Hey, Tony. Could you come here for a second? Promise not to keep you too long.” Tony looked over at Ziva and she smiled.

“I will wait for you in the hallway.” Tony nodded and made his way over to Mr. Barnes. 

Barnes looked at him through his glasses.

“I just wanted to congratulate you, Tony. You are one of my top students in this class. Number two actually.” Tony smiled, he had no doubt who was number one. 

“Thank you, Mr. Barnes. I’ve had a good tutor.” He looked Ziva’s way. She was leaning against one of the lockers. Barnes noticed the look on his student's face.

“Keep up the good work, Tony. It’s paying off.” 

“Thank you.” With that, Tony walked out of the room and over to Ziva. 

“What was that all about?” Tony smiled at her.

“Turns out I’m doing pretty well in his class now. So good that I’m number two in grades.” Ziva hugged him.

“Good job, Tony. I am proud of you.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s amazing what a little motivation could do. I can’t believe I have an A in math. Math of all subjects.” Ziva laughed along with him.

“You have worked hard.” He leaned in closer to her.

“All because of you.” He gave her a kiss and pulled back to hug her again. She really helped him in more ways than one.

“I’ll walk you to Chemistry.” They walked hand in hand to Ziva’s next class. He gave her a kiss on her cheek before heading off to his Auto Mechanics class. She sat down in her usual seat and took out her notebook. Mrs. Williams was one of her favorite teachers, as she was always so kind and welcoming to her students. She found it easy to pay attention in her class as she always made her lessons interesting. She got all her work for the day and put it into her bag. The bell rang and she made her way out of the room. Today was going by pretty quickly. 

Tony met her in the hallway and they walked to the cafeteria for lunch. They found their normal seats and sat down. Abby and McGee were already there, how they always got there so much earlier than everyone else still amazed Tony. Jimmy and Breena now sat with them during lunch and they would always joke around with them now. It was nice to have a group of friends. Tony, all of a sudden, had an awesome idea.

“Hey, Guys! We should call ourselves something!” Everyone looked at him weirdly. Abby was the first one to speak up.

“What do you mean?” 

“Like a group name of some sorts. We could make it sound so cool. Instead of texting our parents or one another each other’s names, we could do this and they know what we mean.” Abby beamed.

“I like that idea!!” Everybody around the table nodded their heads, signaling they agreed as well.

“What do you suggest, Tony?” Jimmy asked as he pushed his bandaged glasses up his face. They really needed to get him a new pair. Tony went into thinking mode. Wondering what could sound cool but mean something important. After a few minutes of the others just staring at him, he got it.

“What about something to do with Dad’s rules?” Tim looked intrigued. 

“We could do that. He has a lot of them so we can choose from a variety.” Tony nodded.

“I’m thinking 8.” A face blossomed on Tim’s face. Everybody but Abby looked at them expectantly. What was rule eight? Finally, Tony turned to look at them and smiled.

“Rule 8 is never take anything for granted.” Smiles passed across everyone at their little table. That was perfect. 

“How should we phrase that?” Tony went back to thinking.

“What about 08 like oh eight. You know like Hawaii Five-O!” The nods across the table signified that they would now be known as the 08. It was perfect. Never taking anything for granted was something that they all held onto. Whether it was with their relationships or friendships, they didn’t want to be wasted or destroyed. They were adamant about keeping their relationships intact as they went through life. And they would never take one another for granted. 

“Perfect.” Ziva leaned over to place a kiss upon his cheek.

“Maybe all of that studying is really paying off.” She laughed along with the table. 

“Did you guys not hear? Tony is the second smartest in our math class.” They all looked over at him surprised. Tony had never really taken school seriously before. For him to be at the top of his class was very surprising.

“That’s awesome, Tony! Who’s number one?” Tony looked over at Ziva.

“I think you already know her.” Ziva smiled at him and had a slight blush upon her face. 

“How is it that you’re at the top of the class?” Tim joked. He knew his brother worked hard for his grades, and since Ziva came along they really skyrocketed. He was proud of his brother. He wasn’t just a jock anymore, he was a small-town nerd. 

“Well.” He looked over at Ziva.

“I had a good teacher.” He planted a kiss upon her lips. She smiled into it and couldn’t help the laugh that somehow escaped. He pulled away and saw Jeanne, EJ, Zoe, and some other chick glaring at them. He glared right back, giving them the message that they needed to back off. Ziva saw his face and looked over to the table where the Cheerleaders were sitting. She sent a smile and a wave over to Jeanne and her lackeys, something that angered them no doubt. The 08 could see the huff come from Jeanne and the stomping out of the cafeteria that followed. She was such a drama queen. Ziva rolled her eyes at the scene and went back to her friends and her lunch. 

Around 15 minutes later, the bell rang again, and they all headed to their next class. 

They were doing basketball again in gym class and Ziva was starting to get the hang of it. Like really get the hang of it. She was making shots left and right, swishing them into the basket. Tony was beside her and he was beyond impressed. He should really learn not to underestimate her. In anything. Fornell had come over and talked to her about joining the Girls’ basketball team. She had declined saying that it was really her thing. She would rather spend time with friends and family. Gym went by pretty quickly after that. They went to change and then made their way to Movie Critique. They walked into the room and saw that Jimmy was now in the class. They made their way over to him and sat down next to him. 

“Hey, Jimbo. I thought you were taking anatomy?” Jimmy smiled at them.

“Well, apparently I was doing so well, they decided to go ahead and give me my exam and my credit. I figured this would be a cool class to take part in.” Tony’s eyebrows were on his forehead.

“They can do that?” Jimmy shrugged. 

“Apparently. I didn’t know they could do that either.” Tony nodded his head. Good for him. He was going to be a fine doctor/medical examiner one day. He looked around the room and noticed that most of their classmates were looking their way. Tony gave them all a look to dare and try to do something to them. The 08 stood by one another. You mess with one, you get the others. 

Tony’s senior year was looking up for the best. He had good grades, a beautiful and amazing girlfriend, great friends. What else could he possibly need?


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! Hope you had an awesome new year!! Here’s to another one!! I wanted to put this author’s note here to let y'all know that I am not going to be writing 50 chapters of this fic anymore. Instead, I am going to write about 35 and take a break before I start writing the sequel. I feel that a lot of you are getting bored with this fic, and to be completely honest, I kind of am too. It’s getting harder to write and spread out. I love this fic a lot and want to continue it, which I will eventually, but I am going to be cutting this one shorter than I initially planned. Like I said before, this will be a three-part series, which means that we are not quite done yet. Please let me know what you want in the next chapter and I will do my best to implement it. The next part of this series is with Tony and Ziva in college, OSU, and going through college years. After that, well, I won’t spoil that yet ;)
> 
> Thank you to everyone for reading this fic. It means so much to me and I love everyone’s comments. Sorry for the long Author’s note, back to the story!

It was the night before Halloween and Tony was spending the night at Ziva’s. Rivka had already gone to bed and they were watching the Wizard of Oz on Ziva’s tv. Tony was laying behind her, cradling her in his arms. He loved the sound of her laughter as she watched the movie. It was something he had gotten used to over the past few months. Especially recently. 

His phone vibrated on the side table. He reached over Ziva and grabbed it. He let out a frustrated sigh looking at the number. Ziva heard it and looked over at him. 

“What? Who is it?” Tony sighed.

“It’s Jeanne.” Ziva’s jaw clenched at the mention of her name. She knew that her threat in the bathroom at the dance would only last so long. Why couldn’t she just leave them alone?

“Open it.” His eyebrows raised.

“Are you sure?” She nodded and taped on the message, making it appear on his screen. 

Jeanne: Hey Tony! I know you're with that Israeli now, but I miss you. I bet I can do a lot of things better than she ever could ;) Anyway, tomorrow’s Halloween and there's a party at my house. Why don’t you show up? It could be fun. See you later. :)

Tony wanted to chuck his phone at the wall. How dare she insult Ziva? He looked over the woman of his every thought and saw that she looked calm. He pulled her closer to him.

“Are you okay?” She looked up and into his eyes. 

“I am fine, Tony. I know that she means nothing to you. That you love me. I have no reason to be angry.” 

“I know. But I’m so tired of her trying to get back with me, or her insulting you. It’s annoying.” She placed her hand on his chest. 

“It is nothing to worry about Tony. She is more than likely looking for more drama or to make herself more popular. We need not worry.” He smiled and nodded at her. 

“I knew there was a reason I love you.” She chuckled.

“What? My wisdom.” He looked her up and down.

“Amongst other things.” A shiver ran down her spine at the tone in his voice. She couldn’t help but place a kiss upon his lips. He smiled into the kiss and pulled her closer. A knock on her bedroom door made them pull apart. Why did that always happen? 

“Yes?” Rivka opened the door slightly and smiled at the sight before her. Tony and Ziva were really something. 

“I came to tell you good night.” She walked over and planted a kiss on both of their foreheads.

“Laila Tov, Zivaleh. Good night, Tony.” 

“Good night”

“Laila Tov.” 

Rivka went out the door with a small wave as well as a reminder that it was almost midnight and they should probably get some sleep soon. She closed the door and made her way to her bedroom, not failing to hear her daughter’s laugh radiating from her room. 

Tony had started to tickle her. She had never known that she was ticklish, probably because she had never been tickled. 

“Tony! Stop.” She said through her bits of laughter. This was going to be a fun night.

___________________________________________

The 08 were all dressed up for Halloween in their respective costumes. Tony and Ziva were dressed as Superman and Wonder Woman. Abby and McGee were dressed as Harley Quinn and the joker. Jimmy and Breena were dressed as Danny and Sandy from Grease. They decided to throw their own party about a week ago, only inviting their friends. All the parents were there as well. Gibbs and Jenny were dressed as cowboys, something that wasn’t too far off for Gibbs. Rivka was dressed as a witch. Gloria, Abby’s mother, was dressed as a nurse, and Luca, Abby’s brother, was dressed as a power ranger. Some friends from school showed up too. Some of Tony’s actual basketball buddies (not the ones that slept around and were cruel) came, as well as some of Abby and McGee’s nerd friends.

Tony came up behind Ziva and placed a kiss on her neck. 

“You look sexy.” Ziva chuckled. 

“As you have said.” She turned around, letting her eyes slip up and down his form.

“You do not look too bad yourself Mr. Kent.” Tony smiled and posed for her, causing her to laugh.

“You can’t give away my secret identity like that, Sweetcheeks.” She just smiled up at him. Abby and McGee made their way over to them and started up a conversation. They introduced them to their friends Arthur and Annabelle. Tony and Ziva couldn’t follow their conversation anymore when they started talking about computer systems. 

Tony grasped Ziva’s hand with his and with a tilt of his head, guided her out onto the back deck. The lights were shining above them, and along the fence on both sides of them. 

“What are we doing out here?” 

“Just needed some fresh air. I also couldn’t understand a word they were saying.” Ziva snorted and nodded. It went above her head as well. They made their way over to the lawn chairs and sat down. Tony held Ziva’s hand in his and sighed.

“What is wrong?” He looked over at her and couldn’t help but notice the worried expression that was being masked upon her face right now. 

“Nothing. Just, we graduate soon. Off to college. Away from everyone.” Away from you. 

“You do not like change, yes?” He nodded.

“You could say that.” Ziva could see that there was more to this than he was telling.

“What is really bothering you, Tony?” She could see his shoulders fall in what looked to be defeat.

“I don’t want to leave my family. I...don’t want to leave you.” 

“They will only be a phone call away.” Tony nodded.

“Yeah...Wait, did you say they? As in excluding you?” Ziva smiled and nodded.

“I have applied to OSU for the Literature program.” If Tony’s eyes could be any bigger, they would. He jumped out of his seat and practically tackled her to the ground.

“You’re coming with me?! You’re gonna be a Buckeye?!” 

“Yes.” The only thing that could classify Tony’s look right now, would be adoration and love. It looked as if his eyes were brimming with tears. He leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss upon her lips, only pulling away when they ran out of air. 

“I can’t believe this.” They were on the ground now, laying on the grass. He hugged her with all of the strength that he could manage. He didn’t want to leave her, and now he doesn’t. 

“Believe it, Tony. I am not going anywhere.”

It was the first time he believed she really wasn’t.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was now Christmas time. A week until Christmas. Ziva’s first Christmas in America. Ziva’s first Christmas at all. Tony wanted to make it special. He had the perfect idea of a gift. He got up early on a Saturday morning, intent on going shopping for Christmas gifts. He knew that he shouldn’t have waited this long, but he got caught up with school, basketball, family, and Ziva. Ziva had been so excited since December had started. He had taken her and Rivka to get their first Christmas tree and helped them decorate it. Even though they were Jewish, they were really getting into the Christmas spirit. Rivka had taken it upon herself to bake a homemade fruitcake, as well as a Christmas pudding.

Tony couldn’t help but smile at Ziva though. Where he was incorporating Christmas with her, she was incorporating Hanukkah with him. They had set up a Menorah, sang songs (Ma'oz Tzur), as well as baked sufganiyot (jam-filled donut). He enjoyed learning about her culture and traditions. Everybody in his family, including Abby, had all enjoyed the foods that they had brought.

Tony looked over at his clock and noticed that it was just after 9 AM. He threw the covers back and made his way to his bathroom. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. 

He made his way down the stairs to see his family sitting in the living room, watching what looked to be the news. He made his way to the door, attempting to get his shoes on his feet, and grabbed his keys.

“I’ll be back later. Need to do some shopping.” His parents nodded and went back to the TV, while Tim got up and made his way over to him.

“Can I go with you? I still need to get a present for Abby.”

“Sure. I’m going to the mall for more options.” He wasn’t lying, but he also wasn’t telling the whole truth. He wanted to go to the mall for one of the shops in particular. Tim got his shoes and announced that he was going with him. They made their way out of their house and into Tony’s car. About the time they sat down, Tony’s phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and smiled when he saw the name on the screen. Tim, noticing the smile on his brother’s face, knew who the text was from without even seeing the screen.

Ziva: My mother has gone crazy. She has not stopped baking all of these new things. Save some room.

Tony laughed. 

Tony: Sounds like fun. :) What are your plans for today?

Ziva: I have presents to wrap and then I think I will take a nap. I am exhausted. What about you? What are your plans?

Tony: Going out with Tim. Need to get some more presents.

Ziva: Have Fun! I will see you later, yes?

They had made plans to go see a movie, as well as get a bite to eat. A date. 

Tony: You can count on it, Sweetcheeks.

Ziva: I will, neshama sheli

Tony smiled. He put his phone in his pocket, put the car in gear, and backed out of their driveway. The only sound on the drive to the mall was mainly just the radio. Tony and Tim talked somewhat about the gifts they were getting for their family, but otherwise stayed quiet and focused on the road. They made it to the mall in record time.

The mall was fairly busy, as it was a Saturday. Tony and Tim split off in separate directions, promising to meet back in the center when they were done. Tony made his way to the wood workshop to try and find something for his dad. He walked into the store and looked around. A worker made his way over to him and asked him if he needed anything.

“Where are your handmade chisels?” The worker showed him over to their chisels and pointed him towards their finer section. After careful selection, trying to figure out which one his dad would like the most, he chose one that wasn’t too expensive but, from what he heard, was very well built. He paid and left the workshop, looking for the next store so that he could get something for his mother. His mother was always so hard to buy for as she never said what she wanted and never gave hints about anything she could want. She was always this way, so was her mother, Tony’s grandmother. He guessed it was just genetics. He found his way into a jeweler’s. He didn’t know if his mother would wear a necklace. The only jewelry she ever wore was her wedding ring. He looked throughout the store and noticed a necklace that he could engrave with his family’s initials. He went up to the counter and asked if they could put what he wanted on it. They said yes and that they could do it today, making it to where he could pick it up tomorrow. He paid for the gift, thanked the staff, and headed out of the store. He still had three gifts to go.

He made his way to the electronic store that was in the mall. Abby and McGee were pretty easy to get gifts for as they always had some new computer system or album that they wanted. He walked into the store and couldn’t help but look around at all the people inside. Most were teenagers, looking at a TV or some new video game that came out. This was right up Tim and Abby’s alley. He walked through the store, feeling out of place. He never came to stores like these. He picked up and paid for the newest computer game for Tim, and Abby the newest Brain Matter CD. (I know I haven’t stated the year for this fic, seeing as the world is in a pandemic right now, I didn’t want to use 2020-2021 as the time period for this fic. I have decided that the year for this fic will be 2009. They are all 90s babies and I love that. Just wanted to clarify that as nowadays you don’t get CDs, you can just go on YouTube or Spotify, or Apple Music. Sorry for not clarifying that sooner, it didn't really cross my mind. Back to reading!) 

He now just had one to go. Ziva. He knew the perfect gift for her. They had been together for a few months now, and he wanted to get her something special. He made his way to a different jeweler, the one that he had called the week before. He walked into the store and noticed one of the workers.

“Hey Tom, how are you doing on this fine Saturday?” Tony picked up his usual charm. Tom turned to him and smiled.

“I’m doing well today, Tony. Are you here to pick up your special order?” 

“Yes, I am.” Tom smiled again at the young teenager and made his way to the back to retrieve Tony’s surprise. When he came back, he handed it to Tony and rang up the price. Tony paid for the gift and put it into a special bag. He couldn’t wait to give this to Ziva.

“Thanks again, Tom!” He practically yelled as he walked out of the shop. He went through his mental list. Dad: Check, Mom: Check, Tim: Check, Abby: Check, and Ziva: Check. He was done. He didn’t need to shop anymore, and he could go home and start “wrapping” them. He was never good at wrapping, if it covered the present, then it was just fine. He made his way back to the center, where he told Tim to meet him when he got done and pulled out his phone. He texted Tim that he was at the rally point. His reply came back almost immediately, stating that Tim was on his way there now. 

The two brothers met up and looked at what the other had in their hands. They even got two pretzels from the food court and decided to head home. They set their things down in the back seat and climbed into the front. Tony put the car in drive and headed home. He and Tim talked throughout the ride this time, talking about all the plans for Christmas and what they got their parents, and Abby. Tony refused to tell anyone about what he got Ziva. It was to be a surprise and nobody was going to ruin it. 

After a while, they turned into their driveway and Tony put the car in park. He looked up at his house, then down at his phone’s wallpaper (still the same one), and couldn’t help but smile at how great this Christmas was going to be.

____________________________________

It was Christmas Eve. Rivka and Ziva were over at the Gibbs household. They had brought over some of their favorite foods from Rivka’s cooking spree, as well as some dessert. Gibbs and Jenny had roasted a turkey and a ham, as well as Christmas Stuffing. They gathered in the dining room. Everyone sitting in a circle, passing food around, and chatting away about how cold it was outside. Ziva and Rivka really seemed to enjoy the feast and went back for seconds. Not that they were the only ones. Tony and Gibbs were on their third serving, and Ziva couldn’t help but laugh at how much Tony was ingesting.

They finished eating and sat down for the annual tradition of watching It’s A Wonderful Life. Tony and Ziva cuddled up on one side of the couch, while Tim and Abby occupied the other side. Gibbs and Jenny were gathered together on his recliner, and Rivka was curled up on the other recliner to the left of Tony and Ziva.

The movie went by quickly, with Tony and Ziva drifting closer together. When the credits rolled on the screen, everyone was rather tired. They had plans to all spend the night, even Rivka. Rivka would be staying in the guest bedroom while Ziva slept in Tony’s room and Abby slept in Tim’s room. They wanted to all wake up together tomorrow and Ziva didn’t want to leave her mother out of the equation. After all, this was her first Christmas too. 

They all made their way to their separate rooms after saying good night. Tony and Ziva flopped down onto Tony’s bed and practically fell asleep as soon as their heads in the pillow. 

________________________________

The morning sun rose above the horizon and pelted its way into Tony’s bedroom window. He woke to the feeling of Ziva’s back on his chest. He leaned closer to her, burying his face deeper into her neck. She moved to look at him and smiled up at his sleepy hair.

“Good morning. Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Ziva.” 

As they were leaning in for a kiss, a squeal pierced through the air, and Tony couldn’t help but laugh at Abby. Footsteps could be heard running towards Tony’s room, and they weren’t surprised in the least to see Abby burst through the door. She had her Christmas Skull and Crossbones pajamas on which had Santa hats on all of them. 

“It’s Christmas!! Time to get up!!” She ran over and practically jumped on top of them, making them gasp for air. Tony doubled over in pain and Abby’s knee landed somewhere they shouldn’t. As fast as she was there, she was gone in the same amount of time. They could hear her running down the stairs. 

They got out of bed, changed into some more Christmasy themed clothes, and made their way out of Tony’s room and down the stairs. Everyone was surrounded around the tree. The adults had coffee in their hands and smiled their way. Tony and Ziva made their way over to them and sat down on the couch. Rivka leaned over and gave Ziva a hug, whispered prayers, and love into her ear. Ziva smiled and returned the sentiments. Tony clasped her hand in his as Abby went around frantically giving everyone their gifts. When Abby finally sat down, everything seemed to calm a little bit more. Abby wanted everyone to open her gifts up first. Gibbs went first, opening his gift to find a rustic wooden handsaw. Jenny was given a new kitchen pot. Tim got the newest phone that was currently out. He really didn’t want to wonder about how much that cost. Tim had been talking about it nonstop for a while now, their parents had told him that he really didn’t need a new phone, the one he had was just fine. Clearly, that was now out the window. Rivka opened up her gift, even though she didn’t know about the gifts it wasn’t a holiday she celebrated after all and she didn’t know they were all doing gifts, it was an American/Israeli flag for outside that they could hang on their front porch.

“Toda, Abby.” Abby looked over at Ziva, confused.

“It means thank you.” She translated for her friend, knowing that they didn’t speak the language and hadn’t really heard Rivka or Ziva speak it. Next was Tony. He opened a box to see a picture frame. He turned it over to see a picture of himself, Abby, Tim, and Ziva. It was after one of his basketball games. He was a picture the school photographer had taken after one of the bigger games of the year. Apparently, Abby had gotten a copy from him at some point. They were all smiling, and Tony had his arms wrapped around Ziva’s waist, Abby and Tim were smiling at the camera, with Tim’s arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“Thanks, Abbs.” It was now Ziva’s turn. It looked as if she had 2 gifts. She opened the first one to see the same picture that Tony received. She smiled, she was going to put it up in her bedroom when she got home. Her second gift was about the same size as the other one. She ripped the wrapping paper open to find another picture, but this time it was of her and Abby. They were smiling and the sun was setting in the background. It looked like they were in the park across the street from Ziva’s house. She smiled at the memory. They had all actually gone and got ice cream at the parlor down the street, and decided to walk to the park. They had spent a while there and just talked and laughed. 

“Thank you, Abby.” Abby gave her a hug and moved back to her spot next to Tim. 

Other gifts went by fairly quickly. Each gift was thoughtful and appreciated. Tony’s parents thanked him for their gifts, as did Tim and Abby. Rivka loved the American coffee mug that he gave her. Now it was time for Ziva. It was almost as if everyone in the room but Ziva, could sense that he wanted to give her the gift privately. They all filed out of the room and smiled at Tony, only Gibbs knowing what he had gotten Ziva. Once they were gone, Tony pulled Ziva’s gift out of his pocket. He didn’t want to put it under the tree, because he didn’t want everyone to start speculating what it was. 

He shyly handed her the gift with a small smile on his face. She passed over her gift to him as well. He watched as she unwrapped the paper and the look of confusion on her face when she saw a small box. She opened the box and gasped at its contents. 

“Tony.” He smiled at her. Hoping that she liked it. He lightly took the box from her hands and presented it to her. 

“This is a promise ring. This is my promise to always be there for you, to make you laugh, and to love you.” He took the ring out of the box and placed it on her left-hand ring finger. He could see a tear falling down her cheek as he spoke. 

“I love you, Ziva.” She moved over to sit in his lap, her legs straddling his.

“I love you too, Tony.” She smiled and planted a kiss upon his lips. 

When they moved apart, Ziva took another look at the ring that he had gifted her. It had a silver band, with a tiny diamond in the center of it. It must have cost him a fortune. As if he could read her mind, he shut her thoughts down quickly.

“You're worth it.” She kissed him again and handed him her present. He ripped it open and gasped when he saw what was inside. It was a signed basketball from all the star players from OSU. Beside it was a signed movie container, signed by Sean Connery. He leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss. This was an awesome gift. When he pulled back from the kiss, he noticed something shiny next to the movie. He picked it up and saw that it was a bracelet. The silver didn’t go all the way around his wrist. He looked closer and saw that it was engraved. 

I love you

He smiled at her while she blushed.

“You do not have to wear it. It is kind of a tradition in my family. The women give their partner a bracelet at some point in their relationship. I figured, why not now.” Tony’s grin became even wider. Without a second thought, Tony put the bracelet on his wrist. He would wear it with pride. Wear it with the love he felt for her.

“Thank you, Ziva. This is the best Christmas I think I’ve ever had.” 

“You are welcome. And thank you. You and your family made my first Christmas special.” 

“I love you, Ziva.” 

“I love you too, Tony.” He placed a soft kiss upon her lips. Best. Christmas. Ever.


End file.
